A TEENAGE girl has spoken of the sexual abuse she allegedly suffered at the hands of the former owner of a petting farm.

Mark Hebdon is accused of sexually assaulting three young girls over a 15-year period while he was the owner of Monk Park Farm, near Thirsk.

Teesside Crown Court heard how the teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, says she was forced to carry out a sex act on the defendant on at least four to five times when she found herself alone with him.

Jurors watched video evidence of the girl being interviewed by a specialist police officer in March 2020.

The teenager said on one occasion Hebdon pushed her to the ground and forced her to perform a sex act on for five minutes.

She said: “It happened a few times in the end – I didn’t want to do it.”

Jurors heard how the teenager said the defendant had told her he would leave his wife for her and how he told her not to tell anyone about what was happening between the pair.

The first witness will continue to give her evidence in the morning before facing cross examination from the defence barrister.

Outlining the case against the defendant, Paul Abrahams, prosecuting, told jurors how the 54-year-old is accused of sexually touching one of the complainants between August 2004 and August 2005.

The first alleged victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told police how the defendant carried out two sex acts on her.

The second alleged victim made a complaint to police in 2012 saying that Hebdon intentionally touched her in a sexual manner on three occasions.

And the final victim told detectives how the defendant had abused her between November 2018 and November 2019 when she says he forced to carry out a sex act on him on a number of occasions.

Tania Griffiths QC, defence counsel, said the third complainant had told people that she was having an ‘affair’ with Hebdon and he was planning on leaving his wife to move in with her when she turned 16.

The barrister told jurors that all of the allegations were ‘made up’ by the three complainants with one of them being ‘besotted’ with her client.

Hebdon, of John Street, Great Ayton, near Stokesley, denies nine charges, including sexual activity with a child and sexual touching of a child.

The trial, which is expected to last two weeks, continues.