Sex trial: Boss 'obsessed' with under-age girl

A TARPORLEY businessman accused of engaging in sexual activitywith a 15-year-old girl took thousands of photographs of her whilethey spoke over the internet, a court heard.

Simon Mills, prosecuting, told Chester Crown Court this week thatGiles Roger Cross, 45, who owns Ink-n-Paper in Tarporley HighStreet, met the girl at stables in Delamere in November 2008.

Mr Mills said Cross befriended the girl, talking and chatting toher about school and his work.

He said this friendship escalated into an obsession for Cross, hetold her he had created them 'a secret world' and in January 2009 hetook her back to his business premises and engaged in sexualactivity with her.

The girl told the police after being confronted by her parentsabout the relationship.

The court heard the pair started communicating using mobilephones, then they moved on to the internet and talked via Facebook,Skype video calling and internet messaging services.

Mr Mills said: "Often he (Cross) would be sitting at his computeruntil 5am. He would take thousands of pictures (of her) as he spoketo her." When Cross was arrested police seized both his and hercomputers and mobile phones and found numerous internetconversations, text messages and thousands of screen shots taken ofher.

Mr Mills told the court this revealed Cross would frequently tellher 'I love you' and 'I want to spend my life with you' and he toldher she was 'my girlfriend, my best friend, my lover'.

Mr Mills told the jury the relationship between the two wasconsensual and during her evidence the girl, now aged 17, told thecourt 'I trusted him, I thought I loved him'.

During a police interview undertaken at the time and shown to thecourt, the girl said how around Christmas 2009 Cross, of Pipers Ash,Winsford, had driven to the estate where she lived looking for herhouse.

She added: "We started to meet up if I was walking the dog."

The court heard he would walk with her, he then started coming topick her up in his car from the end of the road, then during January2009 he started taking her to his business premises.

The court heard she visited his Tarporley premises about fivetimes. The girl told the court it was during these visits in hisempty office on the first floor the sexually activity occurred.

Cross denies all six charges of engaging in sexual activity witha girl under 16.

The trial continues.