A TEENAGER with a mental age of eight said he took his clothes off at 44-year-old Craig Taylor's house so his parents would not know he had been smoking, a court heard.

The youngster said his "best friend", who is more than twice his age, suggested he undress so the smoke would not be on his clothes as his parents disapproved of him smoking.

But the boy, who has learning difficulties and cerebral palsy, said when he was aged 16 the Nationwide worker carried out a series of sex acts on him.

The jury at Swindon Crown Court has also been told that Taylor had a history of committing sex offences against children from the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Giving evidence via video, the boy said he used to go to Taylor's home in Eldene where he would be allowed to smoke.

When he was asked why he took his clothes off he replied "Because they could smell the smoke on me and I wanted a cigarette."

He was then asked whose idea it was for him to undress and he replied: "I don't know really. I think it was Craig's".

On the evening of Friday July 2 last year the boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said he had gone round to see Taylor.

But when he got home his parents saw he had wet hair and smelled of aftershave and asked him what had happened.

The teenager's mum said he told her he had washed his hair at Taylor's as it was greasy but she was suspicious.

She said he had showered the night before saying "He is a typical 15 or 16-year-old boy; to get him to shower two nights running would be something.

"I said 'Why did you wash your hair at Craig's?' and he said he had had a shower.

"I said I didn't go round to friend's houses to have showers so why had he?

"He said 'Because Craig's been touching me.'"

She said she was horrified and didn't want to hear any more from her son, who she said has a mental age of eight. She told her husband to call the police.

Under cross examination from Peter Henry, defending, the boy admitted he had been talking about sex with Taylor but insisted what he said had taken and hadn't been made up.

Taylor, of Stubsmead, Eldene, denies four counts of sexual activity with a person with a mental disorder impeding choice and three of indecent assault on a second boy when he was under 16.

The case continues.

Jamie Hill