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A Jehovah’s Witness accused of sexually abusing three young girls told a court he had been ostracised by the church ever since the allegations arose.

Paul Shields, 57, who was living in Guisborough at the time of the alleged abuse, said that no-one within the organisation would talk to him because of the accusations which he insists were untrue.

York Crown Court heard that it was Jehovah’s Witness policy for church members to shun those who have wronged in such a way.

Even family members who are Jehovah’s Witnesses are told not to speak to the wrong-doer.

Shields, who vehemently denies any abuse took place during the 1990s, said even his mother, who is a Jehovah’s Witness, had not spoken to him since the allegations were made in 2014.

He had been kicked out of the church by the elders of the Guisborough fellowship following a disciplinary meeting in March 2015.

Giving evidence in the witness box on the fourth day of his trial, the married father-of-two said: “I have an 80-year-old mother I haven’t spoken to for about two years. They (the church elders) have even said that my two children shouldn’t speak to me. It was like trashing my life - I have been a Jehovah’s Witness since birth.”

The prosecution alleges that Shields abused the girls on a number of occasions after luring them with video games.

The CPS claims that Shields - who moved from Darlington to Guisborough during the alleged abuse - sexually touched the girls over their clothes but did not touch them on any intimate areas, although he “came very close”.

Prosecutor Andrew Espley said it was not until 2014 that two of the females, who were under-age at the time but are now adult women, reported the matters to police.

Shields, who was in his 30s during the alleged abuse, was arrested and charged with three counts of indecent assault, all of which he denied.

When asked by Mr Espley why he had written letters of apology to two of the girls after the elders’ decision to expel him, Shields said he thought it would be a way of getting back into the church.

Shields, now of Gordon Street, York, admitted he had apologised to the girls but that he had also told them in the letters that “I didn’t think I had done anything wrong”.

Mr Espley asked Shields why he said in police interview that he had acted in a “totally inappropriate” way towards the girls.

Shields admitted he said this, but claimed there was no sexual aspect or motivation to his behaviour.

He said he had suffered a nervous breakdown since the allegations surfaced and had been seeing a psychiatrist.

“You were upset because you had finally been caught out, were you not?” said Mr Espley.

“No,” replied Shields.

The barrister said: “As a practising Jehovah’s Witness, you take very seriously giving oath in the witness box?”

“Yes,” replied Shields.

The trial continues.