THE jury in the case of a teenager who is alleged to have abused toddlers at a nursery have been sent home for the night.

Jayden McCarthy, formerly of Kingsteignton, is on trial at Exeter Crown Court accused of sexually assaulting nine children at the privately-run nursery in Torbay in July 2019.

He had been a 16-year-old apprentice at the childcare facility for four months before a child made a complaint to her mother and he was arrested on July 29.

He is also accused of unrelated sexual assaults on an eight-year-old boy about four years earlier.

Judge David Evans sent the jury out to start their deliberations shortly before 4 pm today (Thursday) but only left them in retirement for 25 minutes before sending them home for the night.

They will return to court tomorrow morning. The judge has told them they were under no pressure of time.

McCarthy, now aged 18, of South Devon, denies a total of three counts of rape and 13 of sexual assault.

He is alleged to have made a three-year-old girl take part in a sex act with him in a toilet at the nursery while changing her dress after she got dirty in a wet play area.

He is also alleged to have assaulted seven girls and one boy in 13 different incidents which were uncovered when police reviewed 265 hours of CCTV footage from the nursery’s 11 cameras.

Prosecution and defence counsel Mr Jason Beal and Mr Nick Lewin made closing speeches to the jury before the Judge summed up.

Mr Beal said the CCTV footage showed that McCarthy abused children time and time again and that he had the opportunity to assault the three-year-old during nine minutes in which they were both out of sight in a toilet area.

Mr Lewin said McCarthy would not have committed the offences at the nursery because he was under constant surveillance or supervision from cameras and other members of staff.

He said what is alleged would have been ‘the most extraordinary and brazen behaviour and the most stupid offending you have ever seen.’

Mr Lewin said it was ‘ludicrous’ that McCarthy would abuse children under the watchful eyes of staff, and on one occasion of an OFSTED inspector.