A TOP East Lancashire scout boss has appeared in court on charges of sexually assaulting a teenager.

Assistant County Commissioner for the Scout Fellowship Kenneth Fawcett denies five charges of indecent assault, said to have taken place between May 1986 and May 1990.

The 60-year-old was a scout leader at the time of the alleged offences.

Mr Fawcett, of Fife Street, Barrowford, appeared at Burnley Crown Court on Monday and was bailed to re-appear for trial in the new year.

The defendant was bailed until February 28, on condition he does not contact or attempt to contact prosecution witnesses and does not have any unsupervised contact with anybody under 17.

Police said Mr Fawcett was arrested and charged in September this year with indecently assaulting a young boy almost 20 years ago.

He appeared before Burnley magistrates on September 8 to face two counts of indecently assaulting a boy under the age of 16 and three counts of indecently assaulting a boy under the age of 14.

All the charges relate to incidents alleged to involve one victim.

Police said at the time of the alleged offences Mr Fawcett was a scout leader.

The Scout Fellowship is a group of adults who support the scouting movement. It has several bases across East Lancashire, including Burnley, Pendle, Rossendale, Blackburn, Darwen, Hyndburn and Bowley, near Great Harwood.