A farm worker carried out a series of sexual assaults on young boys across the country, including Oxfordshire, a court heard.

Peter Cleaver, 39, pleaded not guilty at Exeter Crown Court yesterday to 18 charges involving five boys during a nine-year period.

He denied 11 charges of serious sexual assault, including rape and attempted rape. Cleaver, who last worked on a farm in Devon, allegedly committed offences on boys ranging in age from under ten to 16. The defendant, who also worked on farms in Bedfordshire and Oxfordshire, was a loner who had difficulty in forming adult relationships, said James Patrick, prosecuting.

The case continues.