A WEAVERHAM man has appeared in court accused of raping and sexually assaulting a child.

Monther Alzouabi, of Walnut Avenue, faces 16 separate charges relating to alleged incidents occurring between 2005 and 2010.

These include one count of raping a girl under 13 years old, two of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, eight of engaging in sexual activity with a child, and five of sexually assaulting a child.

The 44-year-old entered no plea at a short hearing at Chester Magistrates’ Court on Friday, November 3.

He was given conditional bail and ordered not to contact the victim by any means, go near a specified address, or have unsupervised contact with any child under 18 unless by prior arrangement with social services.

He will now appear before a judge at Chester Crown Court on Friday, December 1, at 10.30am, where he will formally plead to the charges.