Man, 26, accused of raping girls aged five and six

A young borough man has appeared before justices accused of raping two infant school-aged girls.

Paul Grime is charged with three counts of raping a six-year-old girl and one of assaulting her by penetration, between July 5 2016 and July 4 2017.

The 26-year-old also faces a charge of raping a five-year-old girl during the same time period.

Grime, of Everest Road in Atherton, appeared in the dock at Wigan and Leigh Magistrates’ Court for a brief hearing.

But due to the seriousness of the allegations, the bench explained that the case could only be dealt with by a judge at a higher court.

The bench sent the case to Bolton Crown Court, where Grime will make his first appearance on Wednesday March 25.

The defendant was released on unconditional bail until then.