A Newport man accused of a string of sexual offences in the 1970s has been in an out of court since the age of 14, a court heard.

Gerald Baker, aged 58, of Sudbury Walk, Newport, previously pleaded not guilty to six counts of rape, three counts of indecent assault and one count of attempted rape at Cardiff Crown Court on March 5. He is on conditional bail.

The alleged offences date back to the 1970s when the defendant was a teenager.

At Newport Crown Court yesterday the jury heard the defence case.

Defending, Timothy Evans, explained that Baker has appeared before the courts on 29 occasions for 100 offences.

Baker said that he has always pleaded guilty to the offences that he committed.

Mr Evans outlined that at nine years of age, Baker was sent to boarding school and claims he remained there permanently, even during Christmas and school holidays.

At the age of 14, he received his first community order for burglary and theft. Baker told the court that he had stolen sweets.

Only a month later, he received a conditional discharge for burglary and theft. Baker explained that he was on the run as he didn't want to go back to boarding school and was sleeping rough.

Over the years he pleaded guilty to 19 fraud offences and 53 theft offences, the court heard.

In 1981, while in Weston-Super-Mare, he was arrested for indecently assaulting a female under the age of 14.

Baker told the court that he had met a girl and they started a relationship. He was 24 and she was coming up to her 15th birthday. Prosecuting barrister James Wilson said the charge would suggest the female was under 14, but Baker was adamant that she was 15.

A year later, he was charged with intercourse with a girl under the age of 16 and was sent to prison for nine months.

It was around this time that he changed his surname from Needham to Baker, telling the court, he did not want to bring his family shame.

At the age of 32, he was charged with intercourse with a girl under the age of 16 and of taking a child without lawful authority and was sent to prison for 15 months.

Baker told the court that he had been staying with friends in Yeovil and had a relationship with a 14 year old girl and they ran away together to Bournemouth.

In 1998, he pleaded guilty to an offence of indecent assault on a male under 14. Mr Wilson told the court that it was an allegation that Baker put his hands down the child's trousers. But Baker told the court that he had not done it but pleaded guilty to save the child from “the trauma of going to court”.

Baker went on to tell the court that his father died in 2001 and he made a vow to him that he would not commit another sexual related crime, adding: "I have not broken this promise".

The jury were read text messages from the victim in this case to the defendant sent in 2013, in which she wrote: “You ruined my life”.

In January 2014, the pair had a conversation online, and the victim wrote: “I wish you would find it in your heart to tell the truth”.

The court heard the defendant replied: “I will never say anything to the police.” But in court the defendant claimed that they were not talking about this allegation.

Proceeding.