An alleged child abuse victim has told a court his life has been ruined and that he feels “dirty” after what was done to him.

The man, who was aged between 10 and 16 at the time of the assaults in the 1990s, was speaking on a recorded police interview shown to a jury at Chelmsford Crown Court yesterday.

The footage was shown at the trial of Brian Gibbs, of Wingfield Road, Lakenheath, who is facing 12 charges of indecent assaults on six children in Essex over a eight-year period in the 1990s.

The court heard how Gibbs used to buy youngsters from Saffron Walden, where he lived in Ashdon Road at the time, food, cigarettes and alcohol.

He also held parties at his home and took the children for day trips in his car to Walton, Cambridge and London, often allowing them to drive or sit in his lap while at the wheel.

The victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said Gibbs touched his leg and testicles “hundreds of times” while in the front of the car and that older children were allowed to drive “to keep our mouth shut”, though this was not said explicitly.

One time Gibbs is alleged to have bought two youngsters 200 Benson & Hedges cigarettes and a Zippo lighter in return for pulling their trousers down and fondling their genitals.

In a police interview, shown to the jury of nine women and three men, the victim said: “He made my life rubbish. My life has been one big mess up.

“It made me not feel like a man, made me not trust men, not want relationships – not want to go out.

“It has wrecked my life, basically.

“I feel dirty, from what I let him do.”

Another victim, who spoke from behind screens at the witness stand, told Diana Pigot, defending: “He didn’t pressurise us into anything, he made us feel like it was normal.

“Over time I realised what happened shouldn’t have happened, and it’s absolutely disgusting.”

Of the indecent assault charges four relate to one boy, three to another, and two involve a third child, with one charge each for the three other complainants.

In addition Gibbs, 46. has been charged with seven offences of making indecent photographs of a child, said to have occurred on September 5 2013 in Lakenheath.

The total number of indecent images alleged to be involved is 762.

Gibbs denies all of the charges, agreeing he spent time with the boys but rejecting any claim of sexual impropriety.

The trial is expected to last another two weeks.