A judge has been urged a jury to use "cool and calm heads" as the trial of a Welshpool man charged with ten counts of sexual offences against children got underway.

Tom Piggott, aged 21, of Welshpool, appeared in Mold Crown Court on Monday, July 19 charged with the offences, which are alleged to have taken place over a period of three years between March 2017 and August 2020.

Piggot stands accused of two counts of raping a child, three counts of sexual assault on a child, two counts of inciting a child to take part in a sexual act, and three counts of making indecent images of children.

He denies all charges.

Opening the case, Ffion Thomas, prosecuting, told the court that she intended to prove that the defendant had taken part in sexual acts with children while helping his father with his window cleaning rounds.

Addressing the jury, she alleged that he had inappropriately touched a young victim in his bedroom on multiple occasions, before messaging them on WhatsApp to say it was "our secret".

In August 2020, the parent of one alleged victim told the police she had discovered messages on her child's phone.

Video testimony from one of the victims alleged that the defendant had repeatedly touched them in "private areas" while playing computer games in their room, and that they had told him to stop because it had "made them feel weird."

Piggott is accused of possessing 141 videos, 58 of which are in the most serious category, and 29 indecent images, six of which are in the most serious category, allegedly found on electronic devices seized from the defendant's home following his arrest.

Judge Niclas Parry, addressing the jury, told them they must use "cool, calm heads" when hearing the evidence presented to them.

"Some of you will have winced when hearing of the details involved in this case," he said.

"But from the outset you must adopt a cool, calm head on your shoulders."

The trial continues.