Youth leader on sex assault charges

The defendant is a Salvation Army leader

A Salvation Army leader performed sex acts on teenagers in his charge during an outdoor pursuits course, a court has heard.

Mark Molden, 25, from Bargoed in south Wales, is charged with carrying out indecent assaults during a course held at Symonds Yat in Gloucestershire.

He has admitted one indecent assault on a 15-year-old but denies nine further charges.

These were all very impressionable girls and he flattered and flirted with them to gain their confidence

Hywel Hughes, prosecutor

Cardiff Crown Court was told the group leader, who is married, groped a 17-year-old girl's breasts as she went through a cave, leaving muddy handprints on her clothes.

The girl told the court: "Mark was our leader. We were climbing through tiny gaps.

"Quite a lot of it was dark and there were a couple of really tight spots.

"Towards the end of coming out of the caves we had to crawl through the mud. I was the last one out.

"Mark had been waiting for each girl to come through. He grabbed my breasts and left handprints on them.

"It was best described as a good grope. There were a few girls in the group."

The teenager said she saw muddy handprints on all the other girls' chests, except one, when she emerged from the caves.

Leader assaulted girl, 15

She told the court Molden had forced her to perform oral sex on him during a "worship walk" one evening after singing songs and saying prayers outdoors.

He asked her to keep the incident a secret.

Molden told the girl: "Don't tell my wife - she'll kill me", the court heard.

Prosecutor Hywel Hughes said: "These were all very impressionable girls and he flattered and flirted with them to gain their confidence."

Molden had previously admitted assaulting a 15-year-old girl after giving her a lift home at the end of the course.

The prosecution said he had bought her credit for her mobile phone so he could send her text messages, although he did not pay special attention to her during the course.

Mr Hughes told the jury Molden parked his car in a lane and kissed the girl before assaulting her, but she fought him off.

"That girl sent an e-mail to another group leader warning that Molden should not take any more groups," said Mr Hughes.

He was arrested, and telephoned his wife from the police station to deny having sex with the girl, claiming it was only "petting", the court heard.

More girls came forward following the 15-year-old's report - one girl claimed Molden had put his hand inside her swimsuit during a canoeing trip.

The trial continues.