THE father of a 16-year-old girl told a court how his daughter was "hysterical" after she claimed she had been sexually assaulted.

The alleged victim's father told how he spoke to his daughter shortly after the alleged attack in Shoebury on June 27 last year and immediately alerted police as he rushed home from work.

In his statement read out at Basildon Crown Court, he said: "By the time I got home I just cuddled my daughter. She was really shaken and upset over what had gone on."

Daryl D'Cruz, 62, of Linnett Drive, Chelmsford, denies two counts of sexual assault.

The trial at Basildon Crown Court continues.