A FATHER of two allegedly sexually abused a schoolboy over seven years and tried to buy the child's silence, a jury heard.

Burnley Crown Court was told how Paul Ellison, 35, "adoped a number of strategies," to get away with his behaviour and was violent towards the child.

Ellison, of Thursden Street, Burnley, denies 11 counts of indecent assault on a male, four of rape and one of a serious sexual offence, said to have taken place between 1991 and 1998.

Howard Bradshaw, prosecuting, said the alleged victim was about six or seven years old when the sexual abuse started.

There was then a gap in the defendant's behaviour and he began to molest the boy again when the youngster was eight or nine. He finally stopped when the complainant was 12 or 13..

The abuse took place various forms, with Ellison touching the boy indecently, forcing the child to committ a sex act on him and Ellison performing sex acts on the youngster.

The boy, now a teenager, was interviewed by the police last October and told officers how Ellison tried to keep him quiet.

Mr Bradshaw said the defendant adopted what might be described as a number of strategies to get away with sexually abusing the boy.

He gave the child sums of money and told him they should keep what was happening a secret. Occasionally he used violence towards the boy.

Ellison was arrested and interviewed by the police and denied at any time sexually abusing the child.

At one stage, he indicated he was effectively at a loss to give any explanation as to why the complainant might make up the allegations.

But, at another stage, he hinted it might be because he had given evidence in a case against a member of the child's family and the youngster might be "getting back," at him.

(Proceeding.)