THE trial of a former radio presenter and DJ facing a string of historic sex allegations has started in Taunton Crown Court.

Christopher Reynolds, 56, of Poplar Road, Taunton, denies raping a 16-year-old girl, 12 charges of indecent assault on a girl under 16, one charge of indecent assault on a girl under the age of 14 and one charge of intimidation.

Reynolds - who used the name Chris Young on the now defunct Taunton TV and in a role with radio station Apple FM - is accused of targeting a 14-year-old when he was 27 when he took her to and from under-18s discos in Bridgwater.

Yesterday (Monday), the court heard he kissed the girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, and performed sex acts with her in his car on a total of at least 15 occasions.

He is also said to have kissed her and indulged in sex acts with her on a total of at least another 20 occasions; and the court heard he raped her at a wedding reception after she turned 16.

Reynolds is also alleged to have committed an act of indecency with a 12-year-old girl, who also cannot be named for legal reasons, and to have indecently assaulted her on another occasion

He appeared in the dock at Taunton Crown Court with Julia Wildman, who was also charged with intimidation.

In the prosecution's opening statement, prosecutor Mark Worsley told the jury the first girl was ‘seduced and taken advantage of’ by Reynolds and in a police interview she said she met the defendant after he moved in with his partner at the time, Liz, opposite her family home.

Mr Worsley said: “She got to know him as a neighbour at first, he knew she was under 16.

“He was working as a DJ at a club called CJ’s. He offered to take her to an under-18’s disco at the club with a friend but her parents were not keen on the idea.

“Reynolds said to the girl’s parents, ‘they will be safe with me’ and they let her go to the disco.

“He drove them there in his car. The atmosphere in his car was pretty congenial, music was playing on the radio. He did touch her leg but no more than that.”

The prosecution said Reynolds' relationship with the girl began to develop as she went to the disco each week and Reynolds would buy her alcohol, despite her being underage.

The court heard the girl was ‘flattered’ by the attention Reynolds was giving her and he was ‘flirty and touchy’ towards her.

Mr Worsley, said: “Week by week he got closer to her and after the disco in the evenings he would drop her friend of and park up somewhere secluded and they would kiss, he would touch her breasts and asked her to touch him.”

The prosecution said the victim’s relationship developed to the point where they had sexual intercourse in his car and said the victim would take part in the sex acts as she "felt like she was grown up because he was an older man who was a DJ”.

The court heard the girl later babysat for Reynolds and his wife, Liz, and the former was there on occasions when sex took place.

The girl later stopped meeting Reynolds after a teacher at her school said she had heard rumours of the affair and told her to end it.

The victim ended her relationship with Reynolds but the defendant met her at a wedding in September 1989 and invited her outside to talk, claiming his wife was going to tell the girl's parents about their relationship.

The girl met Reynolds by some bushes outside and claimed he forced himself on her and would not let her leave.

She added that she did not consent to Reynolds having sex with her but was worried that her parents would find out about their relationship and so she ‘let him do it’ as it was ‘the lesser of the two evils’.

The victim went to the police in 2017, around 30 years after the offences allegedly took place, after viewing a storyline on Coronation Street.

Later that year, she claims she was approached by Reynolds and Wildman in the Coal Orchard pub in Taunton while she was having lunch with a friend and Wildman shouted at her and said: 'You’re a lying b****’.

The victim claims Reynolds dragged his hand across his throat and stared and pointed at her in an intimidating way.

Reynolds refutes the victim’s claims and said he was in the pub having coffee with a friend when he saw her and left.

When arrested, Reynolds told police there had never been any sexual contact between the two.

Reynolds' other alleged victim told police that between 2001 and 2002, as a 12-year-old, she had a crush on the defendant and met him when she collected a prize at the Taunton TV studios.

When they were alone, Reynolds asked her if her breasts were real and when she said yes he asked her to prove it, at which point she revealed her breasts to him, the court heard.

They met for coffees and he is said to have talked about sexual matters and kissed her on one occasion.

The trial continues.