By Mike McCarthy, North of England Correspondent
Coronation Street star William Roache sent a 14-year-old girl a signed photo of himself after sexually assaulting her, a court has heard.
The alleged victim is one of five who claim the 81-year-old actor raped or sexually assaulted them in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Prosecutors claim the photo and a signed letter Roache sent her were deliberate acts to secure her loyalty and a form of "grooming".
Earlier, jurors were told not to judge the victims based on how long it has taken for them to come forward with allegations.
Prosecuting barrister Anne Whyte QC said: "If you think a victim of crime has lost the opportunity to complain because he or she did not complain at the time, think again.
"A crime is a crime however dated. It doesn't make them liars or attention seekers. In due course I shall be asking you to accept that it makes them human."
Ms Whyte added: "Women who do not know each other are complaining about his behaviour from the same broad period of time.
"Are they all manipulative fantasists, riding on the coat tails of the post Saville crisis of conscience, or is the reality, quite simply, that they now have the confidence to give evidence about the truth which they have kept private for years?"
Roache has played the character of Ken Barlow in Coronation Street for more than 50 years.
Preston Crown Court heard he used his fame and popularity in the early years of the soap opera to take advantage of young girls, including one he is alleged to have raped twice.
The judge Mr Justice Holroyde told the jury: "It is not the fictional character Ken Barlow who is in court. It is the real person, Mr Roache, who is on trial and, of course, each member of the jury must separate the fictional TV character from the real person."
Roache denies five counts of indecent assault and two counts of rape involving five girls under the age of 16.
The court heard he may be supported in his defence by fellow Coronation Street actors Helen Worth (Gail Platt), Ann Kirkbride (Deirdre Barlow) and Chris Gascoyne (Peter Barlow).
The trial continues.
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