A YOUNG woman says she was sexually abused in Worcester when she was a 'scared' child aged eight or nine.

Richard Fern, who went by the nickname 'Fudge', denies causing or inciting a child aged under 13 to engage in sexual activity as his trial got underway at Worcester Crown Court on Monday.

The 49-year-old, now of Burcot Lane, Bromsgrove, denies the offence alleged to have taken place in Worcester between June 14, 2007 and June 13, 2009.

Harinderpal Dhami, prosecuting, opened the case to the jury, saying that the complainant had disclosed the alleged offence to a social worker. She later told her mum and aunt, the court heard.

Fern had asked the then child, who cannot be identified, if she could 'do him a favour', and she had thought he meant he wanted her to get him a drink.

"The prosecution case is that he would ask if she would help him do something if he showed her what to do" said Mr Dhami. The allegation is that Fern then exposed himself to the girl, forcing her to touch him. 

"She said she was scared - you may think that is understandable given her age and the circumstances" he said.

The jury was played a police video interview with the complainant, recorded on August 14, 2017.

She told officers: "He wasn't a nice person at all. He made me do things. He didn't treat me very nicely.

"Because of the way he treated me, I was scared to say no."

When asked how old she was at the time, she said 'about nine'.

The complainant also told officers how she later saw Fern in Worcester. "He looked at me, winked at me, smiled and rode off on his bike" she said.

In police interview Fern denied any wrongdoing and said the incident 'never happened'.

The trial continues.