TV slimmer 'abused young girls'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/england/kent/8025125.stm

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TV slimming personality Barry Bethell sexually assaulted two young girls after promising he could help get them into showbusiness, a court has heard.

Mr Bethell, 66, who was the face of SlimFast in the early 1990s, showered them with presents when they visited his home in Whitstable, Kent.

Canterbury Crown Court was told he gave them singing lessons and took pictures.

He denies two charges of sexual assault and one of taking an indecent image but has admitted eight other charges.

He has pleaded guilty to charges which include downloading and taking indecent images of children.

Tanya Robinson, prosecuting, told the jury of two men and 10 women that Mr Bethell was "something of a celebrity" in the world of radio advertising and voiceover.

Record singing

She said the Crown alleges that he used his knowledge and experience of the industry to encourage the girls, who were under 13, to regularly visit his home.

He used his own studio to record them singing and would encourage them to carry out "flexibility exercises".

"Through such activities the Crown suggests he could gain their trust and familiarise them to him touching them," Ms Robinson said.

He would also show them how to carry out breathing exercises to improve their singing, which would often involve him touching them inappropriately, she added.

She said he then moved on to taking photographs of the girls.

Seized computers

Mr Bethell was arrested last year after one of the girls told an adult what had been happening.

Police seized computer equipment from his property on which they found a number of indecent images of children.

"The Crown alleges the defendant has a sexual interest in children which is demonstrated by his guilty pleas to downloading indecent images on his computer and by taking indecent photographs of real children who visited him," said Ms Robinson.

"The Crown alleges that this interest went further than just photographs. The Crown says that he wanted to, and did, touch them sexually as well."

The trial continues.