A SCHOOLBOY babysitter had sex with and "strangled" the seven-year-old girl he was meant to be looking after, a jury was told.

Burnley Crown Court heard the 15-year-old also performed indecent acts on the child.

The alleged victim, now eight, gave evidence via a video link.

The accused, who a judge has ordered should not be named, denies two charges of rape and five of indecent assault.

The girl told the court the defendant had been nasty to her and hurt her and she had hidden from him when he wanted to do things to her.

She said she had been scared to tell her father what was allegedly going on because she thought she would get in trouble.

The girl said she wanted to tell her mother, but did not think her father would believe her.

The alleged victim, who claimed the teenager teased and "strangled" her, said she had liked him before he started doings things to her.

Cross-examined by Robert Crawford, defending, the girl, who is from the Pendle area, said it was not true that after all she alleged happened she had run up to the schoolboy in the street, shouted his name and grabbed his arm.

Mr Crawford suggested that had the defendant performed one of the sex acts the girl alleged, it would have hurt her and made her cry.

She replied: "It did."

The barrister said the boy's case was that he never touched the child at all.

Mr Crawford asked the girl: "Are you fibbing? Are you making it up?"

The alleged victim answered: "No."

The child's father told the jury his daughter had been "very, very nervous" about the 15-year-old babysitting, but would not give him reasons why.

The father said after the alleged offences came to light, the girl had been very frightened if she had been in the car with him and they had seen the defendant.

(Proceeding)