A FORMER head of an Oxfordshire children’s home forced boys to line up naked outside his bedroom, Oxford Crown Court heard yesterday.

Rodney Smallman, 72, of Banbury, has pleaded not guilty to 20 charges of indecent assault on males from February 1976 to March 1983.

One of his alleged victims told the court he would spend most weekend nights at Mr Smallman’s house alone with him from the age of 10.

It was there, watching Hammer horror movies and late-night television together, that Mr Smallman would touch him sexually, he said.

The man, now in his 40s, said at first going to Mr Smallman’s house was a treat and he would always sleep in the spare room.

He said: “I guess early on he was just being affectionate, there was no harm in it. He was trying to be friendly.”

He said Mr Smallman, who now lives in Erica Close, also asked young boys to line up naked outside his bedroom for up to 15 minutes at a time, while he watched them through a crack in the door.

Our top stories

The man said he had never told anyone about what allegedly happened until he went to the police in November 2012.

None of the alleged victims can be identified for legal reasons. The case continues.

  • Do you want alerts delivered straight to your phone via our WhatsApp service? Text NEWS or SPORT or NEWS AND SPORT, depending on which services you want, and your full name to 07767 417704. Save our number into your phone’s contacts as Oxford Mail WhatsApp and ensure you have WhatsApp installed.