A FIRE Brigade Union chief seduced a schoolgirl into having sex with him by bombarding her with explicit text messages, a court heard yesterday.

The 14-year-old recorded the "steamy" messages sent by Paul Ahmed, 44, in a book later handed to police.

Newcastle Crown Court was told that the girl became so infatuated by Mr Ahmed that she readily agreed to experiment sexually with him.

In one of the texts, Mr Ahmed, South Tyneside branch secretary of the union, told the girl, "you can trust me".

Michael Hodson, prosecuting, told the court: "He, by some of the messages, knew he was doing wrong. Any man of that age would know that he was. That caused her infatuation with him and she was therefore willing to do what he suggested.

"The messages were very explicit. They were messages which the prosecution say were highly designed to encourage her to behave in an indecent way."

The court was told that Mr Ahmed would pick the girl up in his car outside the Fountain pub, in South Shields, South Tyneside, and he would drive her to a secluded area.

During some of the meetings they would just talk, but during others they would fondle each other. Later, he took her to his home where they had sex.

Shortly afterwards, the girl's mobile phone was confiscated and she confessed to her family what had gone on.

Mr Ahmed, of Carnegie Close, South Shields, denies indecent assault, indecency with a child, inciting indecency with a child and attempted serious sexual assault.

The trial continues.