A MAN who admitted sexually abusing two underage girls will face trial by judge and jury accused of raping one and trying to rape the other.

Matthew Shaw, who was a child himself at the time, is also accused of molesting a third girl more than a decade ago.

The 27-year-old admitted two counts of indecent assault against one girl when she was under 14, in 1998 and 1999, and he was about 14 years old.

However he pleaded not guilty to a charge that he tried to rape the child when she was under 16, between mid 1999 and mid 2001, and he was 14 to 16.

He admitted one indecent assault on the second girl between the autumns of 2000 and 2002 when she was under 14 and he was 17.

But he pleaded not guilty to six other sex charges during the same period of time including an allegation that he raped her.

He denied three charges relating to a third girl who was under 14 between late 1999 and late 2001.

Shaw, formerly of Denbeck Wood, Eastleaze, admitted three counts of indecent assault, denied eight similar charges and pleaded not guilty to rape and attempted rape.

Judge Douglas Field adjourned the case for trial next year and released him on conditional bail. He told him he must live at his brother’s address at Frank Warman Court, Stratton, not contact witnesses or have unsupervised contact with children under 16.