A PERVERT schoolboy made girl classmates' lives a misery by groping them in lessons, a court heard yesterday.

The 15-year-old also carried out an indecent assault on a younger girl on the school bus, magistrates were told.

The Darlington youth, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, denies ten counts of indecent assault on four girls, aged 14 and 15, who all attended his school in the town.

In a special youth court hearing at Teesside Crown Court, magistrates heard that he groped three classmates in lessons, under the noses of teachers.

The first girl, Girl A, who was in the year below the defendant, said she had stayed late at school one evening last November to get some help with her maths homework, and caught the bus home just after 4pm.

In a video recorded statement, which was played to the court, Girl A, who was 14 at the time, said: "He got on the bus and sat right next to me.

"He pushed me over and started touching me. He kept doing it and then I hit him to try and get him off me.

"I started crying because I didn't like it.

"He was trying to get in between my legs. I kept shouting at him to leave off and he wouldn't leave me alone.

"I phoned my friend and he started shaking my arm.

"When I was about to say his name to my friend on the phone he put his hand over my mouth so I couldn't say his name."

The girl's mother contacted the school the next day and made a complaint, which was passed on to police.

A second girl, Girl B, said the defendant had carried out indecent assaults on her around the school, in lessons and in the corridors.

She said: "He is just a pervert. He can't keep his hands off anyone. It is getting to the point where I can't take it no more."

Girl B said that the assaults and lewd behaviour took place over a month.

Sheila Moore, prosecuting, said the third alleged victim, Girl C, was also touched intimately by the boy up to 20 times.

"I think it is a testament to three of the girls' resilience that initially they tried to deal with the defendant's behaviour by swearing at him, pushing him off and calling him a pervert in the hope of discouraging him, but eventually they had to tell their parents and the school became involved," she said.

The trial continues.