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A convicted child rapist who identifies as a woman crept into a little girl's bedroom and repeatedly molested her, a court heard.

The court heard Carrie Cooper, 52, formerly known as Gary, told the victim it was "their secret" while allegedly subjecting her to regular sexual abuse.

A court heard yesterday (September 3) how she waited more than four years to report the alleged assaults to police, when Cooper was behind bars in HM Prison Littlehey, near Huntingdon, for raping another child.

Cooper is accused of sexually abusing the girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, between 2007 and 2012.

At the time of the alleged offences, the girl was aged between seven and 11 years old.

Opening the trial at St Albans Crown Court, prosecutor Wayne Cleaver said: "Cooper allegedly began with sexual assault and progressed to assault by penetration.

"It was repeated, it was regular, and it was unwanted."

At the time of the alleged offences, the jury heard that Cooper was aged between 41 and 46 years old.

The court heard that the complainant first recalled the alleged abuse at the age of seven.

Mr Cleaver said: “The defendant entered her bedroom, and proceeded to undo her clothing, and touched what she described to the police as her private area.

“That was as unexpected as it was uninvited.

"The nature of the defendant's sexual interest in [the alleged victim] escalated, and escalated fairly rapidly."

Jurors heard that the defendant would "sometimes indicate an inclination to go further".

Mr Cleaver said: "The prosecution say that these sorts of comments show a clear desire to achieve maximum sexual gratification."

The court heard the alleged victim contacted the police in June 2016 after confiding in a friend, who encouraged her to tell her mother.

Mr Cleaver said: "These incidents of sexual abuse remained undetected and unreported for several years."

He added: "What the prosecution say is the defendant actively discouraged her from revealing what was happening by insisting it was their secret."

The court also heard that in 2012, Cooper was jailed for 14 years and four months at Winchester Crown Court for raping a girl under the age of 14.

Mr Cleaver said: "It is no coincidence, say the prosecution, that it occurred during 2011."

Cooper, currently residing at HMP Littlehey, denies one count of sexual assault of a child under the age of 13, and 10 counts of assault of a child under the age of 13 by penetration.

The trial, which is presided over by Mr Recorder Mark Ockelton and is expected to last until the end of the week, continues.