A former Harrogate Hospital disc jockey accused of sexually abusing a teenage boy yesterday (July 9) told a court the allegations were “completely and totally untrue”.

Adrian Phipps, 65, is accused of eight counts of indecently assaulting the boy in the mid-1990s when he was a volunteer DJ at Harrogate Hospital Radio Station. None of the alleged offences occurred at the hospital nor were in any way connected to his role there.

The prosecution in his trial at York Crown Court alleges that Phipps abused the child at a property in Harrogate and in secluded woods next to local playing fields.

Taking to the witness stand on the third day of his trial, Phipps said the allegations were “completely and totally false”, adding: 

Asked by his barrister David Ward if he had any sexual contact with the alleged victim, Phipps said: 

When asked about the allegation that he had been “hanging around” sports fields where boys were playing, he replied: “I’ve never done that at all. I had no reason to.”

Asked if he had approached the alleged victim in the playing fields and lured him to the nearby woods, he responded: 

Phipps said the allegation that he had sexually assaulted the boy in the woods was “totally untrue”.

He told the court it would be “too risky” and “rather silly to do that” because there were lots of dog walkers and others who used the woods and that, besides, “I wouldn’t do that with anyone”.

He added: 

Asked by Mr Ward why the alleged victim would make these allegations, Phipps said: “I don’t know.”

Phipps – who used to run mobile discos in addition to his voluntary work on the hospital radio – said he used to walk to and from the hospital but claimed that to his recollection he never crossed the playing fields on the way to his home at the time.

Phipps saw victim as 'vulnerable teenager', court hears

Prosecutor Ian Howard said that Phipps, now of Station View in Harrogate, was in his mid-30s at the time of the alleged abuse in the 1990s

He said that Phipps was “well-known in the local community as a bit of a joker”.

He added that Phipps would use his “joviality” to ingratiate himself with the boy whom he repeatedly sexually assaulted at a property in the town over a 12-month period.

Mr Howard said the boy would try to stop him but Phipps “persisted with his behaviour until he got his own way”.

“After it happened a few times, (the victim) really just submitted, thinking it would be over in a few seconds, perhaps not fully understanding what it was that was going on,” he added.

Mr Howard said that, according to the alleged victim, Phipps had a “certain strength of personality, a persona that he used to (encourage the boy) to go along with it”.

He added that, having succeeded in his first attempt to sexually abuse the boy, Phipps then saw the boy as a “vulnerable teenager who was susceptible to his ‘charm’”.

It wasn’t until 2021 that the alleged victim - now an adult and struggling with mental health issues - made “partial” disclosures to those close to him about what happened to him as a child.

Phipps was arrested and brought in for questioning in February 2022. He made vehement denials about the alleged abuse, claiming his accuser had “made it up”.

He told police he “liked having a laugh and banter” and was “exceedingly well-known” in the area of Harrogate where he was living at the time.

Phipps admitted possessing indecent images of another child before the start of the trial but denies eight counts of indecent assault against the alleged victim in the 1990s.

Of the eight counts of indecent assault, half of them are charged as multiple-incident counts to reflect alleged repeated abuse of the boy.

The trial continues.