A 72-year-old man was questioned about child sex allegations dating back 40 years after a woman came forward following publicity arising out of the Jimmy Savile child sex abuse scandal, a court has heard.

Colin Scott allegedly groomed the schoolgirl for sex while he was living in east Suffolk during the 1970s and told her she would be taken away from her family if she told anyone what had happened, Ipswich Crown Court was told.

Scott, now of Meadow View Park, St Osyth Road East, Clacton, has denied two offences of indecency with a child, rape and two offences of buggery dating back to the 1970s.

He has also denied offences of rape, indecent assault, buggery and assault causing actual bodily harm on a woman dating back more than 30 years.

Samantha Leigh, prosecuting, alleged that Scott had “groomed” the girl for sex and on one occasion had stopped his car in a country lane while he was giving her a lift and made her perform oral sex on him.

Miss Leigh claimed Scott told the girl she would be taken away from her family if she told anyone what had happened.

She alleged that Scott had also committed other sex offences in relation to the girl.

Although the girl allegedly told a friend when she was 17 about what she claimed Scott had done to her, the police only became involved after she confided in someone following the publicity surrounding the Jimmy Savile sex abuse scandal, said Miss Leigh.

She said a second alleged victim had claimed she had been kicked, punched and sexually assaulted by Scott.

She said that when police interviewed Scott about the allegations last year he accused both the alleged victims of lying.

The trial continues today.