A retired firefighter has spoken of his shame at using the services of prostitutes and teenage girls after he and his wife stopped having sex.

Malcolm Vickers told a jury at Bradford Crown Court that he and his wife had enjoyed an "excellent'' 29-year marriage but in recent years they had not had a physical relationship.

When asked by his barrister if he had sought sexual comfort elsewhere, Vickers said: "On occasions, unfortunately which I regret, I slipped into using the services of prostitutes. It started very frequently about eight years ago.''

Vickers, 55, who was based at Bradford fire station and retired from the fire service last December, told how he became involved with a group of girls who hung about Horton Park offering sexual favours.

Vickers said he believed they were aged 16 and said he had been involved with up to six of them. He admitted taking the girls to various locations, including his home in Brompton Avenue, East Bowling, and buying cigarettes and alcohol for them in return for sexual favours.

Asked by his barrister, Simon Lawler QC, how he felt, Vickers said: "Ashamed more than anything. And sorry because I wasn't getting the pleasure I was looking for anyway. It was just something I did.''

Vickers has admitted indecently assaulting one of the teenage girls, but has denied a further allegation of indecently assaulting a nine-year-old girl, three charges of indecency with a child and falsely imprisoning two other nine-year-old girls.

Today he denied locking two young girls in his car and showing them "dirty" magazines.

Vickers said he offered the two nine-year-olds a lift home, but drove into Bowling Cemetery because he needed to relieve himself.

He said he had a long-standing medical condition which meant he had to go to the toilet more frequently than normal and which caused him pain in the bladder area.

After getting out of the car he planned to relieve himself behind some bushes, but had to abandon that when he saw a woman walking a dog near by.

After driving to another part of the cemetery he noticed the girls had got hold of some magazines.

"I asked them to give me them back and they did eventually", said Vickers adding that he then drove out of the cemetery and dropped the girls off not far from their home.

Asked by defence council Simon Lawler QC if he had deliberately locked the girls in the car that day, he replied: "No, sir."

The trial continues.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.