WEST DORSET: A former British Airways pilot on trial for child sex offences said he found the company of young boys ‘intellectually stimulating’ and ‘aesthetically pleasing’ – but gained no ‘sexual satisfaction’ from photos he had of his alleged victims.

Bartle Frere, 50, from Shipton Gorge is on trial at Bournemouth Crown Court accused of 25 child sex offences, including indecently assaulting two boys from West Dorset and arranging or facilitating the abuse of boys in India. He denies all charges.

Frere took to the stand as the defence opened its case in the second week of the trial, and said he first met one of the boys, who has accused him of indecently assaulting him between January 2001 and 2003, when the boy was a pupil at a West Dorset primary school.

Frere said he got on “very well” with the boy, who is now 25.

He told the jury there were only three ‘sexual contact’ incidents between him and the alleged victim, with two occurring when the boy was aged between 14 and 15, and one when the man was 20.

He said all three were instigated by the alleged victim.

Questioned by his barrister David Fisher QC, Frere told the jury he found the company of young boys “intellectually stimulating” and found them “aesthetically pleasing”, which was why he took photos of them, but said no sexual encounters with the boys took place and he gained no sexual satisfaction from the photos.

Mr Fisher read out a number of inappropriate emails to the jury that Frere sent to boys in India, which Frere said were to ‘shock’ the boys.

He added that he called the boys “beautiful” and “sexy” in the messages because it was a “cultural thing” to say in India.

Frere was asked numerous times by his defence barrister if he ever inappropriately touched any of the boys or if he was hoping to achieve a sexual relationship with them.

Frere replied: “No. Never at all.”

During cross-examination, prosecutor Elisabeth Bussey-Jones said Frere devoted “hours and hours” to helping out schools in his spare time, and acted as a “father figure” to the West Dorset boys to gain their trust before abusing them, she added.

She went on to state how Frere provided the Indian children with gifts and money ‘so they were obliged to give him something in return.’ She described him as a ‘sugar daddy.’ Frere denied Ms Bussey-Jones’ statements. The trial continues.