Sex Education star in court accused of 26 sex offences including ‘forcing children to read Shakespeare naked’
A SEX Education star has appeared in court accused of 26 sex offences against women and children.
Alexander Westwood, who starred in 17 episodes of the hit Netflix show, started his crimes aged just ten, jurors heard.
The 24-year-old allegedly sexually abused one girl over a seven-year period.
He is also accused of making young children recite Shakespeare naked in acting class and getting them take part in nude role play scenes.
Prosecutor Andrew Wallace said: "Alexander Westwood is an actor. He is a supreme manipulator. All these charges have a common theme, of inappropriate touching and predatory behaviour.
"The 10 indictments concerning a girl, the first charge is on the date of his 10th birthday, that is the date because there is no criminality before this age."
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Wolverhampton Crown Court heard Westwood allegedly raped a woman aged over 16 four times.
He is also facing charges of forcing a young girl and boy to engage in sexual activity .
Westwood, who has also appeared in Doctors, faces 26 offences in total.
Other charges include seven counts of sexual assault on a female, three counts of causing a child under 13 to watch a sexual act and three counts of assaulting a girl under 13 by touching.
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He is also charged with two counts of inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity involving penetration and three counts of assaulting a female 13 and over by penetration.
Mr Wallace said: "If we were to list every instance there would be hundreds of charges."
According to his IMDb profile, Westwood was an "unaccredited student" in Sex Education.
He has also had roles in film Outlawed and Father Brown and presented a children's TV show called Sensations.
The trial, which is expected to last a month, continues.