Devon County Council taxi driver denies abusing vulnerable girl on special school journeysA taxi driver employed by Devon County Council allegedly groped a vulnerable teenaged girl as he took her from her supported accommodation to a special school.
Kevin Satterley took the girl from her home to a special needs school in Devon every weekday for seven weeks until she complained to carers she had been abused during the journeys.
The 18-year-old says he showed her pornographic films on a portable DVD player of adults having sex and went on to touch her breasts and private parts.
A teaching assistant at her special school had already reported concerns over Satterley’s behaviour after seeing him pat the girl on the bottom as he escorted her into his taxi, Exeter Crown Court was told.
Satterley, aged 48, of Redburn Road, Paignton, denies four offences of sexual assault by touching.
Mr Lee Bremridge, prosecuting, said the offences happened in July last year when the girl was living in semi-independent supported accommodation.
She was a student at a special needs school and Devon County Council organised and paid for a taxi to take her to and from school each day.
He said the girl sat in the front seat and the police were called in when she complained to carers that Satterley was flirting with her and touching her over her clothing during the 40 minute journeys.
He said the girl told carers he had shown her pornographic videos before touching her and police later recovered a portable DVD with an adult film from the car.
He said the girl’s condition meant her behaviour was more like that of a child of eight to 12 and vocabulary was that of a six-year-old but her outward appearance and presentation were normal.
He said:”Although she can present as a street wise teenager she is in fact a young woman who understands less than she may be given credit for and needs constant help and support.”
He passed the jury an account which she had written for carers in big childish handwriting.
It said:”It was every day and made me watch the portable DVD player. He touched me on my boobs and between my legs and every day he did not stop I asked him to stop.”
Mr Bremridge said the girl told police and carers Satterley flirted with her during the journeys and this progressed to watching DVDs and touching in the weeks before she reported it.
He said the girl’s story was supported by the discovery of the portable DVD player in the car and concerns raised by a receptionist at the school who was worried about the way he patted the girl’s bottom as they walked to the car.
Satterley denied touching the girl or showing her the DVD but said she may have seen him watching it when he was waiting to pick her up.
Mr Bremridge said: "The prosecution case is that he took advantage of his position of trust. He took advantage of her and sexually assaulted her in the way she has described.”
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