An alleged victim of child abuse at the hands of a married couple described how he was hit with a “working man’s belt”.

Valerie Stannard, 73, and her husband Roy, 74, have between them been charged with 22 counts of child cruelty and indecent assault. The allegations date from the 1960s to the 1980s, when the couple lived in Stoke Newington. They relate to five people aged under 16 at the time, and who prosecutor Sally Hales said endured “miserable childhoods”.

Snaresbrook Crown Court heard on Monday from one man, a recovering drug addict, who spoke from behind a curtain about the beatings he suffered.

He told the court: “You got used to the wallops [from Valerie] and could handle them, so Roy took over. He used to punch me. He’d hit me with a 5-inch leather belt.”

Defending Roy, Michael Hayton “suggested” the alleged victim was never punched, but would get a “clip around the ear”. The trial continues.