A LAGER-drinking cleric groped a pensioner on visits to her home, a court has heard.

Retired reverend Roy Catchpole is accused of touching the complainant, who cannot be identified, on a series of occasions between August 2013 and June 2014.

It is also alleged that the 69-year-old exposed himself to the same woman.

On Tuesday, a jury heard that the defendant, formerly of St Paul's Church in Sherborne, was "trusted" by the complainant, who viewed him as "a man of the church".

"He would come to her home more often than she would like, and often while her husband was out," prosecutor Fern Russell said.

"She mentioned him sometimes letting himself in. To put it simply, she described how he would become increasingly inappropriate towards her."

It is alleged that Catchpole once pulled down the woman's pyjama bottoms before staring at her and commenting on her body.

The complainant also claimed that he touched her inappropriately after drinking Stella.

Following his arrest, Catchpole - a former trustee of the Sherborne Food Bank - denied all of the allegations, and "expressed sorrow for the complainant and referred to her psychological issues", Ms Russell said.

"Catchpole made it plain to her that if she spoke out, [no one] would believe her," she added, urging the jury to "look for the truth because that's the only hope she has of any justice".

A video interview police conducted with the woman was shown to jurors.

In it, she wept and covered her face, telling officers she had thought to herself, "It's me, no, he didn't do it" after the alleged incidents.

On one of the alleged occasions, the woman said she had been unwell and lying on the sofa at home when Catchpole visited her and started touching her breasts.

She told the officer she felt "dirty".

The defendant, of Milborne Port in Somerset, denies three counts of sexual assault - two of which refer to multiple incidents - and one of exposure.

The trial, at Bournemouth Crown Court, continues.