A GWENT Police officer on trial accused of sexually abusing a child under age 13, told the girl he was “lonely and needed a girlfriend,” before showing her pornographic videos, the court heard.

John Stringer, aged 42, has gone on trial accused of sexually abusing a child under the age of 13.

Prosecutor Ian Wright showed jurors at Cardiff Crown Court yesterday, September 3, a police recording of detectives interviewing the girl in 2021.

In the interview, she told them he had played her a sex video after searching for it on his phone.

The alleged victim said: “He showed me a video of a girl with nothing on her legs.

“She was rubbing it down there and making weird noises. She had no trousers or pants on and was making like a sexual sound.

“When the video was over, he said ‘when I do it, it makes me calmer.’

“He then forced me to do it.”

The girl also accuses Stringer, of Fairwater, Cardiff, of sexually touching her after putting a blanket over her legs.

The court heard on the opening day of the trial that the girl claimed he had told her afterwards that it would be “her fault” if her parents found out what had been happening.

Today, September 4, at Cardiff Crown Court, the mother of the alleged victim told the jury that Mr Stringer, who was known to the family, had told her child that he was ‘lonely and looking for a girlfriend.’

“I said to her ‘that was an inappropriate conversation to be having with an adult’," said the mother.

The court heard the girl’s parents invited John Stringer to their home for coffee.

“We wanted to get to know him better,” she said, adding, “We started off with a coffee and I’d chat to him on the school run.”

The mother then recalled the call she received from her daughter’s school after the child had opened up to her teacher about the alleged sexual abuse.

She remembered picking her 'nervous' young daughter up that day from the headteacher’s office alongside the child’s father.

The court was then shown evidence “considered as fact by both the prosecution and defence” by Prosecutor Ian Wright that showed Mr Stringer had searched “approximately 4,000 times for pornographic content within the time frame, equating to 18% of his total search history.”

His internet history showed, amongst other things, that he had searched for terms on porn sites such as ‘young masturbation’ and ‘first masturbation’.

He had also searched the mental health benefits of doing these acts, for example “their effects on stress and anxiety.”

There was no evidence on Mr Stringer’s phone of child pornography.

Mr Stringer pleaded not guilty to two counts of sexual assault, two of causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, and one of causing a child to watch a sexual act.

The prosecution alleges he did so in Cardiff between December 2019 and July 2021.

Stinger continues to deny all the charges made against him.

The serving Gwent Police officer was arrested and suspended in 2021, after the girl spoke to teaching staff at her school.

The trial before Judge Daniel Williams continues.