Church mentor denies sex assaults

A former postman who mentored children at a Mormon church has appeared in court accused of abusing boys.

Martyn Conway, 48, denies eight counts of sexual abuse on one boy and a separate charge of serious sexual assault on another boy, in the 1990s.

Mr Conway is accused of committing one attack at the Church of Jesus Christ and Latter-day Saints in Cambridge, which he used to regularly attended.

The 48-year-old is on trial at Cambridge Crown Court.

Tim Brown, prosecuting, said: "The thing common to both boys is the church and Conway became someone to be trusted, to look after and mentor the children.

"This case is about events that took place a long time ago. It is a feature of these sorts of cases that, very often, it takes time for things to come out."

'A church thing'

The younger of Mr Conway's two alleged victims, now both grown men, only felt able to report him to the police last year, jurors heard.

After police became involved, the other alleged victim also "found the courage" to speak out, it was said.

Giving evidence via a video-link, the first man described how Mr Conway began the abuse by being "huggy", and reassuring him it was all right because it was "a church thing."

He said: "He would say he loved me, but said that was fine because that was a church thing too."

The case continues.