An alleged rapist confessed to his pastor that he had sexually abused an 11-year-old girl, a court heard.

The trial of Kwesi Van Dyck, 45, began at Southwark Crown Court this week, where he faces 12 counts of rape over a five year period.

On Tuesday (September 17) the court heard from Mr Van Dyck's pastor who told the court he had come to see him and confessed.

Mr Van Dyck, of Bishopsford Road, Morden, denies the charges. The rapes allegedly happened at a home in Wallington.

The alleged victim's mother broke down in court yesterday as she recalled when she confronted Mr Van Dyck.

She said: "I asked him if he had raped her, he nodded his head, but that wasn't enough, I wanted to hear him say it. I asked him again and he said 'yes'."

The mother, who can not be named for legal reasons, told the court she hoped her daughter was lying when she had found out.

She told the court; "The pastor asked to see me, and he told me what he (Mr Van Dyck) had told him what had happened and urged me to go to police. I broke down when the pastor told me."

The court heard that the alleged victim had twice phoned Childline and told them what had happened. She also confided in two friends and wrote in her diary that her innocence had been taken when she was 11.

At the prosecution opening of the trial the jury heard Mr Van Dyck confessed to a friend that he had slept with the victim, but after she was 14.

Prosecutor Timothy Hunter told the jury that a friend of Mr Van Dyck's had said that he had paid particular interest to what underwear the police had taken for examination.

He told the friend that the alleged victim could have rubbed the underwear on his to implicate him. The child's underwear police examined contained Mr Van Dyck's semen, the court heard.

Mr Van Dyck denies all the charges.

The trial continues.