Ex Middlesbrough councillor tried to bribe victim with chocolate

David Smith is also accused of raping and abusing another young boy more than a decade ago.

Teesside Crown Court heard how the second complainant rebuffed the ex-Middlesbrough councillor’s sexual advances over a three-month period while he was a teenager.

The defendant is also alleged to have groomed one of the victims by showering him with gifts and taking the young boy on shopping trips before launching a sustained campaign of sex abuse.

• Read more: Murder trial hears horrifying moment dad was punched in County Durham petrol station attack​

The second alleged victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said when he was a teenager Smith would expose himself and then ask him to touch his genitals.

He said: "He would flash me and as a kid I was shocked and didn't know where to put myself. After a month and a half, it went from him flashing me to him asking me to touch him. It got to the point where he was getting closer to me and got more insistent as found he was getting away with it."

Former Middlesbrough councillor David Smith on trial for child sex offences

The jury heard how the 33-year-old would give the then teen chocolate bars and would try to catch him alone.

He added: “I have only ever told two people what happened to me from outside the family. I told an ex about a year into our relationship – I told her about him flashing me and I told her about what he tried to get me to do.”

Under cross examination from defence counsel, Jon Harley, the complainant denied making up the allegations to get Smith into trouble.

A former girlfriend of the first complainant, who also can’t be named for legal reasons, said the abuse he maintains that he suffered at the hands of Smith had destroyed their relationship.

She told jurors that he had never told her the full details of what happened to him when he was a teenager but said it had left him traumatised.

• Read more: Former North East councillor accused of spending £10,000 to 'groom' his alleged victim​

Smith, of Rainsford Crescent, Middlesbrough, denies 11 counts of inciting or engaging in sexual activity with a child.

Earlier in the trial, jurors heard how the first alleged victim’s abuse became increasingly more and more serious over the years and the defendant spent up to £10,000 grooming the young boy.

The trial continues.

Keep up to date with all the latest news on our website, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

You can also follow our dedicated Teesside Facebook page for all the latest in the area by clicking here.

For all the top news updates from right across the region straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here.

Have you got a story for us? Contact our newsdesk on newsdesk@nne.co.uk or contact 01325 505054