A FORMER Hampshire teacher and church youth leader indecently assaulted a teenager repeatedly after preying on her insecurities, a court heard.

Michael McKenna, who was highly regarded in his community, allegedly targeted the vulnerable young girl over several years – grooming her in such a way so that she would never tell.

Jurors heard that the teenager, who had an “unstable home life” looked up to the 72-year-old defendant as a “father figure”, which the prosecution say made her an “easy target” for him.

Jurors heard at the start of the trial, of the 72-year-old, that the teenager, who had an “unstable home life”, had looked up to him as a “father figure”, which the prosecution say made her an “easy target” for him.

The former science teacher, who taught at Applemore Technology College, is charged with six counts of historic indecent assault between 1970 and 1977, when the girl was aged between 13 and 17.

McKenna, of Springfield Avenue, denies the charges.

Opening the case at Bournemouth Crown Court, prosecutor Rebecca Fairbairn told the jury how the father-of-three began grooming his victim by giving her “pecks” on the cheek.

The court heard he was a highly respected teacher and youth leader at Blackfield Baptist Church and the teenager looked up to him as a father figure who gave her encouragement and affection.

But this escalated, the prosecution claim, once he knew she wouldn’t tell anyone what he was doing to her and he began fondling her breasts, over and under her clothes.

Prosecuting, Ms Fairbairn said the teenager couldn’t remember how her clothes came to be off but “she believed he instigated matters and she felt powerless to complain”.

Jurors were told McKenna knew what he was doing was wrong and once told the girl “he had prayed for help to stop what he was doing to her”.

The court was told his grooming of her had been so “successful” that the girl thought was left thinking she was in the wrong for having an affair with a married man, which is how she saw it, the court was told.

Ms Fairbairn explained it was years later she realised what had happened amounted to indecent assault and told police.

She initially spoke to police in 1996 but she said she was told they were unable to pursue the matter further.

However, The court was told that after several high-profile sex abuse cases in the media, she “felt able” to return to the police in 2013.

Ms Fairbairn said: “The prosecution say ultimately she was an easy target for him. She was an introvert, lacking in confidence and she trusted him and he was held in high esteem by the community.”

She added: “He preyed on her immaturity and insecurity and that compiled with the undoubted shame and confusion with what she was doing with this married man ensured she didn’t say anything to anyone about what he was doing.”

Proceeding.