Kirton man denies 6 charges of rape of a child under 14

A man will go on trial at Lincoln Crown Court after he denied 14 sexual offences including the rape of a child.

Paul Norton, 52, of Nidds Lane, Kirton, denied six charges of sexual assault on a child aged under-13 when he appeared at Lincoln Crown Court for a plea and trial preparation hearing.

Mr Norton also pleaded not guilty to six charges of rape on a child aged under-13 and two charges of assaulting a child aged under-13 by penetration.

All 14 offences are alleged to have occurred between May 2020 and October 2023.

Judge James House KC adjourned the case for a trial beginning at Lincoln Crown Court on 26 January 2026.

The trial is expected to last five days.

Mr Norton was granted conditional bail until his trial.

Judge House told Mr Norton: "I am adjourning for a trial on 26 January 2026. I wish it could be sooner, but it can't."