A FOREST of Dean man and his woman partner have pleaded guilty to sex offences against her 20-month-old baby daughter.

The 35-year-old man and 29-year-old woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were to have stood trial at Gloucester Crown Court this week, having earlier denied the charges, which date back to 2016.

But on the day their trial was due to begin they changed their pleas and admitted their roles in the offending. They were remanded in custody to await sentence on November 22.

Prosecutor Michael Hall told the court that the offences related to 2016 when the couple were planning to get married.

‘‘The man had a fantasy in which he desired to have sex with his partner’s 20-month-old daughter on their wedding night,” said Mr Hall.

The couple exchanged more than 3,000 texts in one week in March 2016, he said.

“The man later said in these text messages that he wouldn’t do such a thing and that a vast number of the messages were just talk.’’

Prosecutor Mr Hall said the man then returns to the subject later in the text messages and eventually succeeded on March 22 2016 when he got the child to kiss his private parts.

He said the man was living in a fantasy world, parts of which were real.

Both defence lawyers, Pina Silvio and Jason Coulter, asked for pre-sentence reports to be prepared on their clients.

The man has pleaded guilty to sexual activity with a child under 13, namely a baby aged 20-months, by getting her to kiss his privates; the touching of the same child in a sexual manner between March 20 and 25, 2016; taking an indecent picture of the child on March 22, 2016, and distributing the image on the same date.

The woman admitted that between March 20 and 25, 2016 she facilitated an act which she believed that would result in a sexual offence.

She further admitted that she allowed the sexual offence to happen..

The trial judge, Recorder Richard Stead, remanded the couple in custody until their sentence hearing on November 22.