A FORMER council binman allegedly sexually abused three children up to 30 years ago but his victims were too frightened to complain, a court heard.

Ex-convict David Hartley, 52, committed sex acts with two boys and one girl between 1965 and the early 1970s, Burnley Crown Court was told.

Three times married Hartley, who had been to prison for burglary, theft and taking cars, told police the allegations were not true and he could not understand why the alleged victims were "ganging up on him."

Hartley, of Olympia Street, Burnley, denies six counts of indecent assault on a male and three charges of indecent assault. On the direction of Judge David Pirie, the jury has already cleared him of three allegations of indecent assault on a male.

The court heard Hartley, who has also worked as a street cleaner in Burnley, was said to have gone into a public toilet in Stoneyholme with the girl and committed a sex act with her.

All the victims were said to be too frightened to complain.

Hartley, who has also worked at Lucas and as a building trade foreman, told the jury he had previous convictions going back to 1966. In 1965 he went to borstal, went back there and between 1968 and 1974 was sentenced to a total of 84 months in prison. He would have served 56 months in prison, plus 21 to 23 months borstal training.

He said he was "always in and out" of the former Risley remand centre, but had no convictions at all since 1975.

Hartley told the jury he would tousle the boys' hair and play fight and wrestle with them.

He would also play football with them and other youngsters. He said: "There was a gang of us."

He said that he had been in contact with the female alleged victim in recent years and that she and her husband had been to a party he had given several years ago. Asked by his counsel, Mark Stuart, if any of the allegations made by the complainants had any foundation whatsoever, Hartley replied: "No, they haven't."

He did not know why the three had "made the allegations up" and would be speculating if he put forward any ideas.

Hartley, who had also worked as a fairground worker in the south of England when he was committing offences, said he had no previous convictions for sex offences at all.

Mr Stuart: "Did you do any of the acts described by any of the three witnesses?" The defendant: "No."

(Proceeding)

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