A care assistant broke down in tears as she told how a sex pest nurse pulled open her top to gawp at her breasts.

Heeralall Dhunnookchand, 54, subjected her to a constant barrage of sexual harassment, a disciplinary hearing heard.

Ms W said the nurse, known as Dan, often ogled her cleavage, saying: "I love those boobs."

The nurse is accused of a catalogue of misconduct while working at residential bungalows, homes for adults with learning difficulties, in Haywards Heath.

Dhunnookchand, from Burgess Hill, is said to have acted inappropriately towards patients and colleagues during his time with the West Sussex and Social Care NHS Trust between 1995 and 2002.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council in London has heard he told colleagues, clients and visitors he and two members of staff were lovers.

He also allegedly restrained patients in an inappropriate manner, failed to administer urgent medication and made patients' toes bleed while cutting toe nails.

Dhunnookchand also allegedly encouraged a resident with learning difficulties to swear and use sexually offensive language.

Ms W told the hearing: "He used to address me. He said, 'I love those boobs, they are my boobs'.

"He would very often not look at my face and would look at my chest instead. He would also say things to clients and staff - that he was my lover and that I had 20 children of all different colours. I didn't like it and sometimes I would say something to him.

"Other times I might just shy away. Sometimes I was rude to him. It was constant throughout the time I was based in those bungalows."

Ms W said she was chatting to a colleague when Dhunnookchand grabbed at her top.

She said: "He pulled my top forward and looked down at my breasts.

"It was on more than one occasion. I would pull away and be horrible to him.

"As the health and safety representative, I knew it was wrong and I wanted to report it but because he was a friend of the line manager I thought they would look down on me and make me look stupid so I did not."

Dhunnookchand kept telling Ms W to work in the same bungalow as him.

She said: "I said if I had to work in that bungalow I would leave. There were other people who did leave for that reason."

Dhunnookchand, who is representing himself, told Ms W: "I would never do anything of that nature."

But she replied: "I was actually frightened of you. I have always been frightened of you."

The hearing has been told how Dhunnookchand would get a kick from raising his fists at residents so they would try to shield themselves.

Dhunnookchand denies eight charges of misconduct and the hearing continues.