A BARRISTER has appeared in court accused of an attempted sex act with a teenage boy nearly 40 years ago.

Rupert Massey is accused of carrying out an offence against a boy, aged around 14 or 15 years old, during a weekend trip to his grandmother’s Poole home.

Massey, now 71 years old and of Langdon Place in London, is on trial before a jury of seven women and five men at Bournemouth Crown Court.

He denies one charge of an attempted sex act with a boy under the age of 16, alleged to have been committed between October 29 1977 and October 28 1979.

Prosecuting, Richard Onslow told the court that the boy was attacked after he had been ice skating in Bournemouth with a group of friends.

“That group of friends included Rupert Massey, who was in his 30s,” said Mr Onslow. “The defendant had canoes and boats and would take them out with him.”

Mr Onslow said Massey would see the boys about once a month when he would come back from London where he worked as a barrister.

Jurors were told Massey was involved in youth work until 1998 and had had many children staying at the address, in Eaton Road.

Mr Onslow told the court the alleged victim was staying at Massey’s house when the offence took place.

He said they were sharing a room, in separate beds, when the boy awoke to discover Massey attempting to commit a sex act.

“The boy got out of bed, turned on the light and shouted at the defendant. He woke up a lodger who lived at the house and told the lodger Massey had ‘tried it on’.”

Mr Onslow said the alleged offence was reported to police in 2015 and that Massey had a voluntary interview with police in February last year.

The court was told Massey denies the offence and that he does not remember the alleged victim ever staying at the house.

The trial continues.