A man has appeared in court accused of sexually assaulting a young girl on New Year's Day almost a decade ago.

David Wise, 44, of Rochester Avenue, Woodley, is on trial at Reading Crown Court. He denies one count of sexually assaulting a child aged under 13.

This is in connection with an incident alleged to have occurred on New Year's Day in 2016.

The complainant in the case did not approach the police until some years after the incident.

Opening the case today (April 2), prosecuting barrister Andrew Hope claimed that, in the early hours of the morning, the defendant went into the room where the girl was sleeping and began touching her inappropriately.

Mr Hope said: "She flinched, and this, in turn, caused the defendant to pull his hands away.

"She recalls that he then pretended to be asleep. She was very much awake, but wasn't sure what to do."

Mr Hope said that, at first, the girl did not make any complaint to the police, and actually struggled to understand the incident at her young age. Only in 2020 did she confide in a friend, who advised her to report Wise.

Mr Hope said: "Initially, she didn't tell anyone what had happened to her. It was only when she got older that she properly realised what had happened to her was wrong."

The trial continues.