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A pensioner has appeared before a crown court judge accused of historical sex offences, including rape, against a schoolgirl and the neglect of another one in Wigan.

Kenneth Wood, 71, of Silverdale Drive, Preston, is charged with raping the then under-16 – who cannot be named for legal reasons – on the night of August 15 and 16, 1992,.

He is also charged with indecently assaulting her four times between December 31, 1990 and August 1993, and assaulting, ill treating or neglecting her, causing unnecessary suffering, between April 1977 and 1993.

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A trial date has been scheduled for November 2025

A seventh charge accuses him of the maltreating or neglecting a second child between December 31, 1990 and July 2, 1994.

He has yet to enter pleas but a provisional trial date of November 3, 2025 has been set.

A pre-trial preparation hearing has been scheduled for April 17 this year. He has been remanded on bail until then.

Trial date set in 2025 for pensioner accused of rape and sexual assaults of Wigan schoolgirl 30 years ago