A POSTMASTER allegedly groomed a schoolgirl for his sexual gratification and groped a pregnant customer at the premises he ran, a jury was told.

"Sexual predator" Alan Holden, 60, allegedly gave the 12-year-old massages, talked to her about people walking around naked, gave her money and sweets and said he might take her to Thailand.

Later he is said to have rubbed the pregnant woman's stomach and then slipped his hand down her underwear whilst they were alone in the post office in Dill Hall Lane, Church.

She was left in tears, whilst the younger victim had become disruptive after her ordeal, Burnley Crown Court was told.

A police investigation did not lead to the child's allegations being brought before the court at that time.

But when her father asked her why she was playing up she told him: "When I go to heaven God will know what he has done to me," the court was told.

Married Holden, of Dill Hall Lane, denies four counts of indecent assault between January 1996 and December 1999 and one charge of sexual assault in October 2006.

Paul Treble, prosecuting, told the court that the woman attacked by Holden was upset, left the shop and started to cry.

She then went home, made a complaint to the police and Holden was arrested.

The defendant told officers the alleged victim had lifted her clothing up to show him her stomach and gave him permission to rub it.

He denied lowering his hand down her knickers.

The prosecutor said the woman told a friend what had allegedly gone on and the friend said Holden had touched her too.

The pregnant woman mentioned to the police that her friend appeared "to have suffered at the hands of the defendant," the court was told.

Holden's alleged conduct against the schoolgirl started some time in 1996 when she was about 12, the court was told.

He would talk to her about naturism and after a little while started to massage her shoulders and back, the jury heard.

The girl was a little bit frightened of him as he was bigger than her and was quite intimidating and imposing, the court was told.

Mr Treble said that as the girl got older, Holden began to massage her breasts, he told her he might take her to Thailand, and gave her sweets and money.

The prosecutor told the jury that the Crown would say that had "sinister undertones" as the defendant was grooming the girl to carry out his inappropriate conduct.

Mr Treble said Holden's inappropriate touching ended some time in 1999 when the girl was perhaps becoming a little bit aware of what was going on.

Holden was interviewed about the girl's allegations and claimed the child asked him to massage her shoulders and back, the court heard.

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