A man sat next to a five year old girl on a bed and asked her for a cuddle before putting his hand down her underwear. This incident, which took place over a decade ago at a barbecue, was reported by the victim, now a young adult, in June of last year following disclosures to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).

At Liverpool Crown Court yesterday (September 10), prosecutor David Watson said: "(The victim) describes being in the defendant's son's bedroom, watching TV, and the defendant coming into the room and asking if he could cuddle or sit with her on the bed.

"He put his arm around her and slid it down the waistband of her trousers. The victim explained that at the time she remembered thinking that what was taking place was weird. She recalled she had frozen. The def

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