The kinky life of a Kent fetish club boss has been laid bare to jurors as they heard how he flogged female slaves in front of a 14-year-old boy.

Brian Thornhill was master of the so-called North Downs Pony Club, near Rainham, and admitted in court he enjoyed whips, leather gear and torture implements.

But the 59-year-old denied engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child and other charges relating to possession of extreme pornographic images or videos.

A jury heard evidence from Thornhill's former wife in which she revealed his sexual preferences in graphic detail, including floggings and genital torture.

Sarah Baker described how Thornhill would make her dress up, would "smack her all over", lash her with a whip and encourage her to strike and twist his genitals.

She said Thornhill also made leather clothing for her and would view violent sado-masochistic films before sex.

The jury at Guildford Crown Court heard Thornhill was the master and leader of the North Downs Pony Club, a fetish club for adults.

He is accused of having obscene videos and photographs involving people and a dog, which were discovered when police raided his home.

Prosecutor Simon Shannon told the jury: "It is about his enthusiasm for bondage and bestiality and how he drew a boy into that lifestyle and into his practical fetish for keeping female slaves."

Mr Shannon said Thornhill was arrested after a social worker spotted a photograph online of him with a naked woman and a boy by his side.

He was charged with engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, including accusations of paddling and flogging "slave" women in front of the boy.

The court heard officers searched his home and found the extreme pornographic photographs, as well as 43 video clips of a similar nature.

They are also said to have found a BDSM (bondage discipline sadomasochism) video called Iron Horse, showing an act said to have resulted in or likely to result in serious genital injury.

"I'm quite a gentle person, not submissive, but he wanted me to do it harder and harder and harder..." - Brian Thornhill's ex-wife Sarah Baker

In her evidence, Sarah Baker explained that in the early days when she and Thornhill were together their sex life had been normal.

Mr Shannon asked her: "As your marriage progressed, were things introduced into your sex life?"

She replied: "Yes. He would like for me to dress up in leather outfits. He actually made me some leather outfits.

"He would have me dress up in those and take photographs and afterwards we would have sex. He would also introduce a small horsewhip, which I think he had had for a while. He would whip me or beat me.

"He made me a leather corset, like a bodice. He made me a very short mini-skirt of leather and a pair of pants with a bit of chain on."

She said he would tie her up and smack her all over her body.

"I didn't like it," she said, "I don't like pain. He was very interested in hurting me, but he was also interested in my hurting him."

She said he would get her to smack his bottom and his genitals.

Mr Shannon asked if the activity was sexually arousing for the defendant.

Ms Baker said: "Yes. It was quite often the only way he could get sexually aroused. Of course, he was getting slightly older."

He also used a device attached to his genitals, which was linked by a chain to his nipples.

"He wanted me to twist it so it would tighten, tighten and tighten," she said.

"I should imagine it was very painful, but he wanted for me to do that. I'm quite a gentle person, not submissive, but he wanted me to do it harder and harder and harder."

Thornhill and his wife, who were married in 1992, separated around 2000 before divorcing about two years later.

"I've had a number of girls wandering around with the vacuum cleaner, doing the washing up. I've even had a couple who can cook..." - Brian Thornhill

Taking to the witness box himself, Thornhill said the activities he indulged in - in what he called "the lifestyle" - were all about pleasure.

He said the advantage was that people could get a high and it was entirely legal and "did not involve hanging about on street corners for class A drugs".

Thornhill also insisted the activities at the pony club, despite people being almost completely naked, were non-sexual.

"In the nearly seven years there I've never seen any sex," he said. "It's pure escapism. They just lose themselves. They're happy."

He admitted to being lonely and going online to look for a partner, both in "the lifestyle" and also engaging with people in the vanilla, or "nilla" community - those who do not indulge in the activities.

It was on a BDSM forum that officers found graphic conversations between Thornhill and someone purporting to be a young woman.

He told the court: "It's purely based on fantasy. I'm sitting there indoors on my own. I'm asking these questions to see how far these people will go before I commit to anything in real time. I've got a very fertile imagination."

Thornhill confirmed he had had three female slaves living at his home at different times.

One stayed for 11 months, another for three months and one for just two weeks.

"I've had a number of girls wandering around with the vacuum cleaner, doing the washing up. I've even had a couple who can cook."

He explained that a slave was someone who was contracted for a defined period, or even for life, who agreed to perform functions for the other person.

"Obviously it's not legally binding," said Thornhill, "it's just a contract between two people."

He said it was a different role to that of a "sub", or submissive, in a BDSM relationship.

The defendant denied the boy had flogged one of the slave women, although Thornhill admitted he had taken her housecoat down and invited the 14-year-old to do so.

"There was nothing sexual behind it," he said.

Charlotte Surley, defending, asked: "What makes you say that?"

He replied: "Because it was way outside of his remit. I personally don't think he would have been sexually motivated towards that.

"To me and to him there was no difference to trying it (the flogger) out on the settee."

Miss Surley asked: "What would be the difference between a flogging that would be sexual and this scenario?"

The defendant answered: "It would be between two consenting adults, setting out to enjoy a play scene with each other with the aim of pleasuring each other for the end result."

He said there was "no similarity whatsoever" between the two scenarios.

Thornhill, of Lagham Road, in South Godstone, Surrey, denies five counts of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child and six counts of possession of extreme pornographic images or videos.

The trial, before Judge Neil Stewart at Guildford Crown Court, continues.