`Church rape'

A Roman Catholic priest,accused of sexually abusing six children, raped one victim after hearing her confession, a court heard. Fr John Lloyd, 57, regularly assaulted the nine-year-old and did the same to altar boys, it was claimed.

The alleged offences date to the early 1970s, when he was an assistant near Pontypridd, Mid Glamorgan.

Fr Lloyd denies four charges of rape and 17 of indecent assault involving four girls and two boys.