A WORCESTER man faces crown court trial accused of sex offences against five young boys.

Former residential social worker Geoffrey Allen will answer 11 charges, including indecent assault, buggery, attempted buggery and gross indecency relating to alleged incidents in Worcester and at a Gloucestershire special school.

The 63-year-old appeared before magistrates in the Forest of Dean yesterday.

He was due to appear at Gloucester Crown Court next Tuesday, and was bailed yesterday on condition he lives and sleeps at his home address in Barbourne Terrace, and does not contact prosecution witnesses.

All the charges against Allen concern boys under 16, and all but two relate to dates in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

At the time, the four youngsters named in the older charges were all pupils at the former Sedbury Park School for boys.

The two more recent charges, both of indecent assault, relate to a boy who was allegedly abused in Worcester in the mid-1990s.

Allen's appearance results from a Gloucestershire police investigation into the running of the former school for boys, near Chepstow.

Now they want help from the public as the probe continues.

"Some of the boys at the school concerned were subject to local authority care orders and were from across the south west of England and Wales," said a Gloucestershire police spokesman.

"Anyone who was a resident of Sedbury between 1973 and 1986 and who may have information relating to the investigation can contact detectives at Gloucestershire police headquarters on 0845 090 1111.

"It's believed more than 700 boys were placed in care there during the 13-year period being investigated. Detectives are working closely with Gloucestershire social services as part of the inquiry."

Sedbury Park closed in 1986 and is now a care home for the elderly.

Worcester police confirmed today that they were aware of their Gloucestershire colleagues' investigation, but were not involved.