Rabbi tells court of being sexually groomed by his teacher

Mr Golomb, who was clothed at the time, had asked to inspect the child after he used the bathroom at a Charedi school in Manchester.

He said: “I felt it was somewhat strange. But as a young child, I didn’t question. I didn’t think to question.”

He also told the court he had a “very close relationship” with Mr Golomb, who would “spend long amounts of time talking to me” on topics including prohibitions against masturbation under Jewish law.

He also stayed overnight at the teacher’s home on at least one occasion, when Mr Golomb dried his naked body with a towel after a bath or a shower.

The jury also heard that on May 24 2017, Mr Golomb telephoned the rabbi to ask for forgiveness for “what had happened in the past”.

The victim said: “I was going out with my wife when I received a phone call. I picked it up and Daniel Golomb was on the phone.

“He said he was a changed person, and asked if I could find it in my heart to forgive him. I said something along the lines of ‘I was sexually abused’.

“If he could assure me he was having therapy or some way of dealing with things he had done then perhaps I could think about it.

“He wouldn’t confirm he was undergoing any such therapy.”

Defence counsel Sarah Elliott QC claimed the witness omitted the allegation that Mr Golomb pressed his organ against him in his official statement submitted to the court, despite consulting two solicitors, two barristers and three rabbis.

She suggested the witness “just put it in this morning to make things worse for Mr Golomb”.

The victim argued that it was an “error”, citing the “extreme trauma” of submitting the statement and giving evidence in court.

He said: “First of all, for two Jews to be in court against each other is not something anybody wants to see. Generally, the community is close-knit, and people look out for each other.

“When a case makes the press everyone is talking about it. A certain amount of pressure is unavoidable on anybody involved in the case.

“Things [in the community] are changing but that’s how, historically, it’s been.”

In cross-examination, Ms Elliott also argued some of Mr Golomb’s actions were “normal”, and that in adulthood, the witness now sees what happened to him “in a sinister light”.

The victim said that after seeing Mr Golomb in public as an adult, he has felt “repulsed and revolted”, telling his family he no longer wishes to have contact with the former teacher.

When asked why he decided to give evidence, he said it was to “protect any future children from being affected by what I have”.

Three other alleged victims gave evidence earlier this week, with one telling the jury that Mr Golomb penetrated him with his finger – first with soap and then without – on a series of occasions.

The trial continues on Monday.