A gang trafficked under-age girls for sex acts in Travelodge hotels, including the Tolworth Tower and Twickenham branches, a court has heard.

Diane Chilcott, 39, Jerrell Sutherland, 23, Daniel Pusey, 20, and Robert Carson, 18, are accused under the Modern Slavery Act of arranging or facilitating the travel of girls as young as 13 with a view to exploitation. Pusey is also accused of sexual activity with underage girls.

The group is said to have taken the girls to Travelodge hotels in Surbiton, Twickenham, Hounslow, Slough and Staines in January and February last year. The sexual activity charges against Pusey span between September 2014 and February 2016.

A jury at Guildford Crown Court was told a 13-year-old girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was taken to one of the hotels by Pusey and plied with alcohol before engaging in sexual activity, just days after meeting him for the first time.

In a police interview conducted on March 3, 2016 and played to the court, the girl said two of Pusey's friends and an older woman had come with them to the hotel a few days after New Year’s Day, but went to separate rooms when she and Pusey lay in bed together, before he sexually touched her. The girl said a couple of days later, the pair, along with two of Pusey's friends and another 13-year-old girl, went to Pusey's house in West Drayton and allegedly had sex in an upstairs bedroom before she "pushed him off" and went downstairs.

The court heard that on a later date in January, the girl was reported missing by her father after an argument. The girl said how she had been collected from a friend’s house by Pusey and was taken to his West Drayton home that he shared with his parents and brother. The girl alleged Pusey tried to engage in sexual activity with her, but after refusing he instead performed a sex act on himself.

A few hours later, Pusey was arrested after police officers raided the home and found the pair in bed together. The girl had previously denied any sexual contact with Pusey in an earlier interview on January 17, 2016 as she was “scared and ashamed”.

During cross-examination in court, the girl was shown a Snapchat message from Pusey to a friend of the pair, in which he denied knowing her age and insisted she was 16 when her friend confirmed her real age. Jurors heard how the girl had texted Pusey saying she and her friend were only 13, and had been told by another female friend to lie and say they were 16.

Mr Pusey, of Money Lane, West Drayton, Ms Chilcott, of Rutherwyk Road, Chertsey, Mr Sutherland, of Milwards, Harlow and Mr Carson, of Gurnell Grove in Ealing all deny four charges of facilitating travel to exploit. Pusey, Sutherland and Carson all deny a fifth charge of facilitating travel to exploit. Pusey denies six charges of penetrative sexual activity with a child and one count of sexual activity with a child.

The trial continues and is expected to last up to six weeks.