THE father of an alleged child rape victim said his daughter’s personality transformed and she started self-harming before she reported the attacks to the police, a court heard today.

John Liddiard, of Buttermere, Liden, is on trial at Swindon Crown Court for the sexual assault and rape of a girl aged between seven and nine.

It is alleged that between January 2007 and August 2009, Liddiard raped the girl on at least ten separate occasions.

Liddiard, 22, has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Tessa Hingston, prosecuting, said the victim first spoke about the alleged attacks last year after she was contacted by social services regarding the safety of another girl.

The victim’s father said his daughter’s personality then changed substantially.

“She changed from being a polite respectful child to being somebody who was possessed,” he said.

“She started self-harming, she was tearful, she wasn’t the same girl.”

The court heard shortly after being hospitalised for self-harming, the victim confided in a close friend before telling her stepfather that she had been attacked as a child.

He said: “I said to her, it’s killing me and your mother, we just want you to be happy.

“I asked if it had anything to do with John. I’ve always been straightforward with her and I asked her, did he touch you. She said yes."

The victim's mother added: “She was a grade A student who loved doing everything, then suddenly she didn’t want to do anything.”

The girl’s cousin also said she noticed a change in the girl, who became withdrawn and angry.

“I noticed she seemed quiet, very reserved at the time.  She just wasn’t interested in playing. I could just sense that something was wrong.

“Last year I knew she had started cutting herself. She volunteered the information, I said that sounds like rape and you need to tell someone.”

“She then became hysterical. She said she was nine when it happened.”

In 2010, Liddiard pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting two girls.

Alex Daymond, defending Liddiard, asked his client if he had ever had consensual or non-consensual sexual relations with the alleged victim, something Liddiard denied.

Liddiard also denied, contrary to the victim's mother's evidence, that he was ever left alone with the girl, who is not a relation, for prolonged periods of time.

“My parents would never leave me in charge of young children because of my anxiety and learning difficulties,” he said.

When asked about his 2010 conviction for sexual assault Liddiard said: “I don’t accept that I was guilty for that. It was an easy step to get myself out of the situation. I was about to take my GCSEs and I wanted to focus on that.”

The trial continues tomorrow.