Eight female students allege they were sexually assaulted by Ellesmere Port driving instructor

Frank Barham, 69, is alleged to have groped the teenagers and young women while teaching them to drive between 1999 and 2017.

He stood trial for charges relating to six complainants back in January this year but the jury could not reach any verdicts.

Media coverage of the case then led a further two women to make similar allegations to the police, Chester Crown Court heard today on the first full day of the retrial.

The married former Sergeant Major, who pleaded not guilty to a total of 19 offences, has now closed Frank’s School of Motoring.

Opening the case, prosecutor Andrew Green told the new jurors that Barham would brush against and touch his students for “cheap thrills” and became more “emboldened” as he continued to get away with it.

“This case is about a driving instructor who used his position to sexually assault girls and young women who placed their trust in him to provide driving lessons,” the barrister said.

“In total eight women say they were sexually assaulted by him. He says these things either never happened or his behaviour was entirely innocent.”

Outlining the testimonies of the individual complainants, he said the first was 17 when she began to take driving lessons with Barham.

“From the beginning the defendant would talk suggestively to her and ask her if she had piercings,” Mr Green said.

“He then progressed from talking about it to putting his hand up her top and touching her belly button. This was the defendant testing the waters to see what he could get away with.”

He then moved on to squeezing her breast, Mr Green said.

It is also alleged that Barham invited the girl back to his home to use his computer to practice for her driving theory exam.

At this point he would put his hand up her top and stroke her back. On one occasion he was disturbed by his wife bringing him a cup of tea, the alleged victim claims.

Barham then became “emboldened” and drove the girl to a lane near Hooton Railway Station where it is alleged he put his hand down the front of her underwear.

The second complainant says Barham made suggestive remarks to her too, constantly commenting on her appearance. He later moved on to groping her breast under her clothing, Mr Green told the jury.

The third made similar accusations, claiming the defendant smacked her on the bottom and “touched her inner thigh under the guise of teaching her how to use the clutch”.

The fourth alleges that Barham would often touch her on the leg or shoulder, or brush against her chest.

“If she hadn’t done something properly he’d use it as an opportunity to put his hand down her top and then laugh it off as a joke,” Mr Green said.

Barham’s behaviour towards the fifth complainant became “progressively more sexual” with him comparing the car’s gear stick to a penis and commenting on the colour of her underwear.

He is then alleged to have parked up in a country lane and tried to kiss her.

Mr Green told the court that a sixth complainant told police the defendant would “caress” her inner thigh and kissed her on the lips on one occasion.

Barham, of Halton Road, Great Sutton, was arrested and interviewed in 2018 before being charged.

“He denied ever behaving in a sexually inappropriate way to any of them,” Mr Green told the jury.

A trial took place and no verdicts were reached, leading the Crown Prosecution Service to seek a retrial.

In the meantime, two women had been alerted to newspaper reports of the case and made their own complaints to police about Barham.

“The case received press attention,” Mr Green said. “As a result a number of other women came forward to say they too had been sexually assaulted by this defendant.”

One alleged that Barham had lifted up her skirt on one occasion, and when she challenged him about his behaviour he said “it’s just like being on the beach isn’t it?”

And the second claimed the defendant would “grip her thigh”, again under the guise of showing her how to use the clutch.

None of the complainants were said to have known each other.

Barham denies all charges and the trial, which is expected to last between three and four weeks, continues.