A MUSIC teacher pretended to be a girl while talking to a boy online, jurors were told.

Martin Reece, 19, told a jury at Dorchester Crown Court he became wary of internet chat with a girl called Laura he was put in contact with by Ian Huw Garland.

Garland, 30, of Stonechat Close, Littlemoor, Weymouth, denies four counts of sexual activity with a boy, 15, and two counts of indecently assaulting a girl when she was 12 and 14.

Mr Reece, who is not one of the alleged victims in the case, said he first met Garland for music lessons aged 14 and said at the time he thought he was a 'really nice chap'.

Mr Reece, who told jurors he was a magician and hypnotist, said he and Garland used to communicate via MSN Messenger and by text message.

Jurors heard Garland introduced Mr Reece via MSN to a girl he described as 'an old PA of his' who worked in Australia for an entertainment firm.

Mr Reece said Garland told him Laura was unhappy and bored where she was and wanted to speak to English men online.

Jurors heard after talking a few times on the internet the girl suggested sending each other photos.

Mr Reece said: "Right from the start I was a bit wary of her. At the end of the day you don't know who you're talking to."

Mr Reece described the photos sent to him by her as 'looking staged' and that he had tried calling Laura after asking for her number but the line was 'always engaged'.

Mr Reece added: "By this stage I really did feel it was Ian pretending to be Laura."

Francis Abbot, defending, asked Mr Reece if he had sent any explicit photos to Laura, to which Mr Reece replied he had not.

Earlier in the hearing, DC Tristan Oliver, of Dorset Police's hi-tech crime unit, said he found video files showing young men performing sex acts on a computer seized from Garland's home.

Jurors heard Detective Constable Oliver found evidence of pornographic images having been viewed on the machine and references to online news groups with names including 'erotica teen female', 'teen idols' and 'strip poker'.

Mr Abbot pointed out that none of the images found on the machine showed underage children and that Mr Garland faces no charges relating to child pornography.

The trial continues.