A YOUNG woman wept as she told a jury how she was sexually abused on a weekly basis.

The alleged victim, now in her twenties, said she was just eight when Wayne Bruce started to sexually abuse her in Vange.

She told the jury at Basildon Crown Court Bruce, 50, would try to rape her around twice a week when she was aged between 11 and 14.

The witness said the abuse came to light when, aged 14, she finally confided in a school friend. She said she was too scared to make a police complaint at the time, but in January, 2006, she did.

Bruce, of Rettendon Gardens, Wickford, denies five counts of indecent assault, two counts of attempted rape and two counts of rape, which are alleged to have taken place between 1988 and 1996.

The trial continues.