A FORMER British Airways pilot from West Dorset is on trial again after allegedly committing a string of child sex offences.

Bartle Frere, 51, from Shipton Gorge, is standing trial at Bournemouth Crown Court accused of committing or arranging a total of 16 sex offences, including sexual assault, making indecent photographs of children, and arranging the abuse of boys in India.

He was previously convicted of six charges of possessing indecent images of children and two charges of arranging or facilitating the abuse of boys in India following a lengthy trial in September last year.

Frere is now being re-tried on 16 charges for which the jury in the previous trial could not reach a verdict.

These include eight charges of sexually assaulting a boy from West Dorset between April 2000 and January 2003, four counts of making indecent photographs in 2009 of boys in India, arranging or facilitating the abuse of teenage boys in India between 2009 and 2013, and one charge of attempting to record a person doing a private act in 2012.

Frere denies the charges.

The jury heard Frere allegedly sexually assaulted a boy from West Dorset he had befriended when the boy was at a local primary school.

The jury heard the boy, who was aged between 12 and 15 when the alleged offences were committed, first met Frere in 1999 and within months was completing household chores at Frere’s home for money.

Frere would shower the boy with gifts including items he bought from different countries during his trips as part of his BA job, the jury heard.

Speaking in a police interview that was shown to the jury, the man, now in his 20s, said he would often have a bath after carrying out the work and Frere had assaulted him following his baths.

In the interview, the man said he was sexually assaulted by Frere at his home “between 10 and 15 times” and on one occasion, Frere blindfolded him with a rugby sock during one of the assaults.

He also said Frere tried to assault him at Eggardon Hill near Bridport, but he asked him to stop, which Frere did before telling the boy: “It might be wrong, but if it feels right we should carry on doing it.”

The man said he “felt obliged” to participate in the acts, because Frere bought him gifts.

He said: “I thought he was being nice to me. The more I think about it, the more I realise that he wasn’t.”

The mother of the alleged victim told the jury she became suspicious of her son’s relationship with Frere, but decided against bringing it up with Frere and added: “I trusted him.”

The trial continues.