A former disc jockey at Harrogate Hospital Radio Station sexually abused a teenage boy in the 1990s, a court has heard.

Adrian Phipps, 65, abused the child at a property in Harrogate and in woods next to playing fields, a jury at York Crown Court was told.

Prosecutor Ian Howard said that Mr Phipps was in his mid-30s at the time of the alleged abuse in the mid-1990s.

Mr Phipps, of Station View in Harrogate, appeared in the dock for the first day of his trial today (July 7) after being charged with eight counts of indecently assaulting the under-age boy. He denies all allegations.

Mr Howard said that Mr Phipps was a volunteer DJ at Harrogate District Hospital at the time of the alleged offences, which were not connected to the infirmary nor his role at the hospital.

He said that Mr Phipps, who wore a hearing loop on day one of his trial, was “well-known in the local community as a bit of a joker”.

He added Mr 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 Mr 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,” added the prosecuting barrister.

He said that Mr Phipps would also sexually assault the boy in a secluded wooded area near playing fields in Harrogate. Again, he would “use his joviality” to lure the boy to the woods.

Mr Howard said that, according to the alleged victim, Mr 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, Mr 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 had happened to him as a child.

Mr Phipps was arrested and brought in for questioning in February 2022. He made vehement denials about the alleged abuse, claiming that 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 he was living in at the time.

“He said that back in the day, in the 1990s…he was out a lot, doing discos (for the) internal hospital radio at Harrogate District Hospital,” added Mr Howard.

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

Defence barrister David Ward said Mr Phipps “simply denies” there was any sexual activity between him and the boy.

“He can’t say why (the complainant) is making these allegations,” added Mr Ward.

The trial, which is expected to last until Thursday, continues.