A jury is considering whether to convict a man accused of raping his stepdaughter and sexually assaulting his daughter.

The Enfield man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared at Wood Green Crown Court in Lordship Lane this morning charged with nine counts of rape and sexual assault relating to alleged abuse in the 1980s.

Although the man insists he is innocent, his stepdaughter, who was younger than 13 at the time of the alleged abuse, claims he sexually assaulted her on a sofa when his younger daughter was watching television in the same room.

She told the court the assaults, which began as soon as she hit puberty, did not stop until she left her family home to live with relatives.

It is then claimed the defendant started to sexually abuse his daughter.

The court heard the suspect’s stepdaughter told a relative about the abuse when she no longer wanted to return to the family home, but her allegations were not believed and were not mentioned again for years.

His stepdaughter reported the suspect in November 2011, and his daughter also agreed to testify against him during the trial, which started on Monday.

The defendant sat in the dock and remained silent this morning while Judge Rosa Dean summed up the evidence. 

He was arrested at his Edmonton home on November 11, questioned by police and bailed following police investigations.

The defendant denies all the charges.

Judge Dean adjourned the trial until 4.30pm to give the 12-strong jury time to make their decision.

She warned: “It is important to leave assumptions aside because there is simply no stereotype for a sexual assault; for a perpetrator, or a victim.

“Make judgements on the evidence heard in court; please avoid making judgements based on stereotypes.”

If the jury have not reached a verdict, the deliberations will continue tomorrow.