A DRIVER responsible for taking children with special needs and disabilities to schools in Ealing sexually molested an 11-year-old autistic girl and showed her porn on his mobile phone, a court has heard.

The trial of Kenneth Stanbury, 63 of Westbury Avenue, Southall, started today, but will move to a courtroom at Inner London Crown Court so the girl, who has severe communications difficulties, can testify via video link.

Mr Stanbury denies a charge of sexual assault on the girl, now aged 12, and one of causing her to watch a sexual act between a man and a woman for his own sexual gratification, both on March 22 last year.

Opening the case, prosecutor Laura Steel said the incidents occurred while the "escort", a member of staff who rides on the bus and escorts children into the buildings, was taking another youngster to a different part of the school.

Miss Steel said the girl claimed he touched her private parts and showed her a "pornographic image" of a man doing the same to a woman.

She told the court that when the girl returned home: "Her mother said she behaved in a manner that indicated she was distressed.

"The following morning she told her mother and father what had happened.

"Her parents were shocked, the bus was about to arrive, so they took the decision to let her go to school but warned her to keep away from the driver and they decided they would speak to the school authorities."

However, the youngster told the head teacher and other members of the staff leading to a meeting at which Stanbury was suspended from driving the bus.

He then had a meeting with a representative of Ealing Council who was not yet aware of the allegation and he told her "he believed it was this girl making the allegation and he wanted to complain about her behaviour," said counsel.

Following his arrest in April he told police he thought she made the allegation because he stopped her listening to a certain radio station.

Ms Steel said: "He said she was very difficult and disruptive, especially if she didn't get her own way."

However, police discovered that a video clip as described by the girl had been removed from his equipment two days after his suspension and before he knew the allegations.

In the same period he had also visited the Ask Jeeves internet search engine looking for details of trials and criminal sentencing on child abuse and also searching for child abuse lawyers, said Ms Steel.

When Stanbury was questioned further, he declined to comment.

The trial, which is expected to last two weeks, continues.