A man aged 46 accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a young boy chose not to give evidence at his trial at Lewes Crown Court.

Anthony Valentine is said to have lured the ten-year-old boy away from an amusement arcade on Bognor seafront in July last year before taking him by train to Barnham, where the child was allegedly sexually assaulted in a remote copse.

During the five-day trial, the prosecution accused Valentine of tricking the boy into going with him by promising to buy him presents.

The jury heard staff at amusement arcades in the town recalled seeing Valentine befriend the boy and walk off with him.

The boy was reunited with his family eight hours later. A taxi driver alerted police at 3am after seeing the child with Valentine at Barnham station, it was alleged.

Valentine, of Boltro Road, Haywards Heath, has denied charges of kidnap, two offences of child abduction, two offences of indecent assault plus one offence of indecency with a child.

The jury saw the boy's recorded interview with the police in which he accused Valentine of threatening to kill him.

Stella Reynolds, defending, told the jury the prosecution had only presented weak evidence and had not proved its case during the trial.

She said: "You have been asked to convict the defendant of these terrifyingly serious charges on the word of a little boy."

She drew attention to changes the boy had made during his account of what happened that night to the police, including the fact that initially he told officers he had fallen asleep on the train to London.

She said he had not appeared distressed, tearful or upset when police found him and there was no DNA evidence which proved a sexual assault had taken place.

Ms Reynolds said the jury should not hold it against Valentine that he had declined to give evidence to the court.

She said: "He has not given evidence against this basket of flawed and weak evidence."

The jury is expected to retire today to consider its verdict.