A FORMER Plymouth youth club leader was due to appear in court today charged with 18 sexual offences including one count of attempted rape.

Dean Madavan, aged 43, of Campbell Drive, Cardiff, was arrested by police who carried out an eight-month investigation into allegations of child sex abuse from 1992 to 2002.

Madavan, who has been remanded into custody, also faces charges relating to the possession of indecent images of children.

He was due to appear before Plymouth Magistrates Court today to face one charge of attempted rape, seven charges of indecent assault on males under the age of 16, two charges of indecent assault on males over the age of 16, four counts of possession of indecent images of children and four counts of making indecent images of children.

The alleged offences are understood to have taken place at the time when Madavan was a youth club leader at Ford Baptist Church.

Police involved in the investigation, codenamed Operation Oxendon, say they would like to hear from anybody who may have further information to contact them on 08452 777444 quoting police log number 679 of 20/1/10.