A PUB landlord allegedly groped four barmaids by fondling their breasts while stuffing their wages into their bras.

Peter Hayball, who denies any wrongdoing, also patted them on the chest and bottom and put ice down the shirt of one of them so he could touch her nipple as he got it out, Exeter Crown Court has heard.

He is alleged to have put the wages of one young barmaid down his own trousers and tried to persuade her to put her hand inside to get the money out.

He allegedly told one of the women he could not help himself because 'she had cracking' breasts.

Hayball, 56, of Crossways, South Chard, denies 13 counts of sexual assault against four different women between 2016 and 2018.

Mary McCarthy, prosecuting, said the women worked for Hayball when he was running a Devon pub and two left because of his behaviour.

They were all traced after the fourth victim went to police after she was molested while running an outside bar at an event in Taunton in June 2018.

She said Hayball made crude remarks about a tongue piercing as he drove her there, pushed her face towards his crotch and put an ice cube down her top.

He put her hand over his private parts and tried to get her to take her wages out of his underwear.

She refused and called her mother in distress. He also tried to touch her private parts over clothing, it was claimed.

Miss McCarthy said the first three women tried to brush off his assaults at the time but made complaints when they learned of the police investigation.

The others said he asked to grope their breasts and brushed past them so his arm made contact and had put their wages into their bras, touching their breasts in the process.

He told one he would not pay her unless he was allowed "just one touch" of her breasts, the court heard.

He told another she was "no fun" when she twisted away from his attempt to touch her.

The same barmaid was groped when Hayball was giving her a lift.

He also stroked some on the thigh while driving them to run outside bars and ran his hands over their bottoms while they were working in the pub.

He denied any deliberate touching when interviewed by police but said there had been some innocent ‘horseplay’ with one of the women.

Miss McCarthy said the final woman’s bra was sent for forensic examination and traces of Hayball’s DNA were recovered from it.

The trial continues.