A foster carer groomed, sexually assaulted, raped and abducted a vulnerable young boy who was in care, a court has heard.

Christopher Waite (35) showered the youngster, then aged 12, with money, clothes, cigarettes and toys and even helped him to escape a secure unit so he could sexually abuse him, Winchester Crown Court was told yesterday.

Waite was first registered as a foster carer with Hampshire County Council in 2002 and later worked for a private firm, but he did not look after the alleged victim Alastair Malcolm QC, prosecuting, told the jury.

Instead the two had met in Basingstoke and Waite got “deeply involved” with the boy, who was in care and described as “very young and very vulnerable”.

The barrister said: “Waite's interests and motives had nothing to do with the boy's interests. It had entirely to do with his own sexual gratification.”

Waite denies two counts of rape, two counts of child abduction, one count of sexual assault, two counts of sexual activity with a child, two counts of grooming a child, one count of inciting sexual activity with a child and three charges of possessing indecent images of children.