A 101-year-old man who is the oldest defendant in British legal history went on trial today accused of a string of child sex offences.

Ralph Clarke denies committing the offences against two girls and a boy between 1974 and 1983.

Yesterday (Mon) the pensioner entered Birmingham Crown Court with a white walking stick and was allowed to sit outside the dock during his trial.

Clarke - who was born in March 1915 - listened to the proceedings through his hearing aid and had an intermediary sitting next to him for support.

Judge Richard Bond told the jury of six men and six women he was "speaking slowly" for the benefit of the OAP and said they wouldn't sit during the afternoon sessions.

Clarke, of Erdington, Birmingham, has previously denied a total of 31 sex offences against children.

Opening the prosecution case, Miranda Moore QC said the defendant sexually abused the three children, who are siblings, in his lorry cab and his "man cave".

The court heard he also indecently assaulted the victims, who can't be named for legal reasons, in bath and in bed.

He bribed the youngsters with sweets and money and would even take his false teeth out before committing sex acts on them, it was alleged.

Miss Moore said Clarke's two female victims walked into a police station in August last year to make a complaint against the centurion.

She told the jury they were "tipped over the edge" when he turned 100 in March 2015 and "everybody was saying what a good life he had led".

Miss Moore added: "They felt it was about time they did something about this.

"What they were to tell the police was the history of a catalogue of serious sexual abuse at the hands of this man."

The court heard Clarke would indecently touch both girls and force them to perform sex acts on him.

Miss Moore said: "(The victim) alleges from the age of about seven or eight she was touched in a sexual way by the defendant in numerous places and in numerous ways.

"(The victim) said it was a daily event.

"The defendant was very handy, he could mend things.

"He had one of those workshops, probably today it would be called a man shed or man cave.

"All three victims talk about being in a garden shed or a workshop.

"(The victim) remembers sitting on the bench...she remembers that the abuse happening in the shed was in the summer.

"When he did these things he was a young and strong man and they were children.

"When she was little she didn't realise what was going on, she didn't realise it was wrong.

"But as she got older she did, she had sex education at school.

"She told him that she didn't want to do it and he said 'but it makes me happy'."

The court heard the second female victim told police Clarke blackmailed her by giving her 10p or 20p to buy sweets after the abuse in the lorry cab.

Miss Moore told the jury: "She also remembers him doing things to her in the cab of the lorry.

"They would park in a yard somewhere and her expression was it was more aggressive when he was in the lorry.

"He would give her 10p or 20p to get some sweets.

"When things happened in the lorry cab she was eight or nine.

"She also remembers being in the workshop. She feels the incidents in the shed went on for years.

"She thought of it as an evil place and at one point when she was an adult she wanted to demolish it."

The court heard the male victim was also abused when he was under the age of 16 in the lorry cab and workshop.

Miss Moore said: "He was also abused in the garage workshop. There was masturbation and oral sex.

"He vividly remembers that the defendant would take his teeth out beforehand.".

The court heard Clarke made "limited admissions" when he was interviewed by police but had pleaded not guilty to all 31 charges.

Miss Moore said: "The defendant was spoken to in December of last year.

"He was able to answer questions. When he was interviewed he made limited admissions.

"In respect of (the male victim) he was quite frank.

"He admitted what went on in the lorry, he said it happened on a number of occasions.

"He admitted that he knew it was wrong and that he knew it was wrong then.

"The defendant denied touching either of the girls in the lorry and denied doing anything to (one female victim). He called her a liar.

"In respect of (the other female victim) he accepted there was a time he put his hand down her knickers and touched her.

"He admitted that at the time he had admitted touching her but he said it was a one off incident.

"He has admitted, we say, some of them (the charges), he simply doesn't want to do it in court.

"That is the matter you are going to have to decide. Only if the jury can say we are sure of guilt then you will convict him.

"It doesn't matter how old you are, if a jury I sure that you have committed an offence then they will find you guilty.

"Age is no barrier to being tried as long as the trial is fair and the evidence is clear.

"You do not judge this case on any prejudice or any sympathy on either side."

Clarke, who wore a black coat over his navy cardigan, took off his white flat cap in court but leant on his white walking stick as he sat on the back row.

He listened carefully to the proceedings, occasionally speaking loudly to his intermediary to ask what was happening.

Explaining that Clarke would be assisted to help him to follow proceedings, the judge told jurors: "There will be occasions during the trial when the defendant will speak, possibly quite loudly, to the intermediary, who is likely to speak quite loudly back to him.

"The reason for this is that Mr Clarke, not surprisingly at the age of 101, is hard of hearing."

Judge Bond also said Clarke's old age and health meant the court would have reduced sitting hours with evidence heard between 9.30am and 1.30pm.

He added: "I am sure that you will all understand why we have to accommodate Mr Clarke in this particular way.

"It may be because of Mr Clarke's health and physical condition that he needs more breaks than somebody younger than him requires.

"At the forefront of my mind I have his welfare. He has got be able to follow this trial. So let's all be patient. It's only fair."

Clarke denies 17 charges of indecent assault, 12 charges of indecency with a child and two charges of attempting to commit buggery.

The jury were told the offences were committed between February 1974 and April 1983.

The trial, which is expected to last two weeks, continues.