A COUNCILLOR allegedly indecently assaulted a young girl while awaiting retrial on a similar charge, a court heard yesterday.

A Durham Crown Court jury last March failed to reach a verdict on charges that Harry Devine, an independent member on Easington District Council, County Durham, committed the offence on an 11-year-old girl at his home in Wingate.

A retrial was ordered, although the jury had cleared him of two charges of incitement to commit gross indecency.

But, before the retrial could begin, the court was told Mr Devine visited Bridlington, North Yorkshire, and offered a 12-year-old he met at the town's boating lake £10 for sex at his hotel.

While sitting on the promenade, he allegedly kissed her twice on the cheek and touched and stroked her leg, prosecutor Adrian Dent said. The girl became frightened when he squeezed her tightly, but he allegedly threatened to rape her if she told anyone what had happened.

The girl's friends had followed the pair, thinking "something was amiss", and they chased him until he jumped over a garden fence, the court heard.

The householder, an ex-policeman, thought Mr Devine was a burglar, and he was initially arrested on suspicion of that offence.

The jury was shown CCTV pictures that Mr Dent said appeared to show Mr Devine holding the girl and trying to take her away.

Mr Devine denied indecently assaulting her and said he took hold of her to retrieve his cigarette lighter.

Mr Devine, 54, of Salters Lane, Wingate, denies indecently assaulting the 12-year-old and also indecently assaulting the 11-year-old.

Mr Dent said the first offence happened in 2002 after he took the 11-year-old and her friend to Scarborough for the day. The victim fell in a pond, soaking her clothes and, when they returned to Wingate, he undressed her and touched her private parts at his house.

The jury saw footage of the girl's police interview in which she said she was "shocked and frightened'' and had done nothing to encourage him.

She said that on another occasion Mr Devine asked her and another friend to show him their private parts. Mr Devine denied undressing the girl or touching her.

The trial continues.