Gwent Police officer told child he wanted a girlfriend, court told

Giving evidence, the girl’s mother said her daughter displayed a “huge amount of nervousness” when her parents arrived at her school when she’d made allegations to a teaching assistant.

“She was over there and talking with John and he would tell her he was lonely and wanted a girlfriend,” she said.

“I said to her ‘that was an inappropriate conversation to be having with an adult’.”

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

She told the jury that Mr Stringer had told her he missed his ex-partner but did not like his ex-mother-in-law.

“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.”