Brian Spence, former vicar of St John the Baptist Church in Crowthorne and St Mark's Church in Englefield, is facing nine counts of indecent assault involving four girls under 16

A 74-year-old retired vicar faces nine counts of indecent assault involving four girls aged under 16.

All the offences are alleged to have taken place between 1995 and November, 1999 when Brian Spence – known then as Father Brian – was vicar of St John the Baptist Church in Crowthorne.

He was more recently priest-in-charge at St Mark’s Church in Englefield before he retired.

Elisabeth Bussey-Jones, prosecuting, told Reading Crown court yesterday (Mon) how the first girl remembered an incident because it was on a young family member’s birthday in the mid 90s.

She was 11 and sang in the church choir.

She was to sing in the choir at three weddings that afternoon, but because of the birthday party that day, her parents had asked Brian Spence to look after her in between the wedding ceremonies.

The girl described how “Father Brian” took her into the church where he hugged, her put his hand down her shorts and touched her indecently for several minutes.

Miss Bussey-Jones said the girl said he was “smiling and his breathing had changed.”

He then touched her in the breast area.

When he left her to go into the vestibule area of the church she went out to buy some sweets and stayed outside for as long as she could, “scared”  and hoping others would arrive soon.

He took her back into the church into the vestibule where he “forcibly” kissed her.

She told her mother many years later in September 2012, made a comment to her sister and told a boyfriend in November 2011 what had happened.

The second girl was 14 or 15 when Spence drove her to a church event and stroked her leg as he drove.

Miss Bussey-Jones said: “It was clearly inappropriate and she felt uncomfortable.”

When they arrived early at the venue, she was sitting on a table and he pushed her back and “got on top of her placing all his weight on her”.

She managed to wriggle away but Miss Bussey– Jones said there was no reason to do it other than “sexual pleasure”.

On a separate occasion the girl was alone with Spence at her home and he crossed his arms across her chest and touched her nipples.

Her mother went to work in the evening leaving her alone for a short time before her father arrived home from work.

Miss Bussey-Jones said Spence took to calling at the house at that time. The girl told her parents who told her not to be alone with Spence and her father ensured he was home from work earlier to be with her.

A third girl  was 11 or 12 in the 90s when she alleges Spence touched her knee under a table.

The fourth girl was aged 10 to 11 years when she went with her own church in Wokingham to a weekend retreat near Winchester which involved other churches and was attended by Sepmnce.

She said Father Brian made her “feel very special” sitting her on his lap  and kissing her on the lips.

Miss Bussey-Jones said she recalled telling a woman in her own church about it.

The next night the girl said Father Brian asked her to go outside to “look at the stars”.

 He put his arms around her, hugging her with one hand resting on her groin area.

He touched her indecently in the area of her vagina.

She told a friend who remembers they were both still in lower school at the time.

Spence, who now lives in Nursery Close, Hook, Hampshire, denies all the charges.

The trial continues.