Man denies sex assault on girls
A SENIOR member of the Jehovah's Witness congregation in Ipswich indecently assaulted two schoolgirls, a court heard.John Pickrell, 48, of Cedarcroft Road, Ipswich, has denied four offences of indecent assault on one of the girls and three offences in relation to the other.
A SENIOR member of the Jehovah's Witness congregation in Ipswich indecently assaulted two schoolgirls, a court heard.
John Pickrell, 48, of Cedarcroft Road, Ipswich, has denied four offences of indecent assault on one of the girls and three offences in relation to the other.
Ipswich Crown Court was told yesterday one of the girls was aged between eight and 13 and the second was aged between 11 and 13 at the time of the alleged offences, some of which were said to have happened more than 20 years ago.
John Butcher, prosecuting, said Pickrell had been an elder in the Jehovah's Witness congregations at either the Kingdom Hall in Cavendish Street, Ipswich, or at Westbourne in Ipswich at the time.
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He claimed Pickrell had kissed the first girl on the lips and put his tongue in her mouth and had indecently assaulted her on other occasions.
The victim had kept the alleged incident to herself until she told her husband about them in December last year.
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Mr Butcher claimed Pickrell had also kissed the other girl, licked her hair and kissed her feet and toes.
Pickrell denied acting indecently towards the girls or indecently assaulting either of them. He admitted kissing one of them on the lips and tickling her bottom while giving her a piggyback, but said that had been an innocent display of affection.
The trial continues.
