A LORRY driver accused of carrying out a string of sex attacks on young girls told a court yesterday: "It's total rubbish."

Melvin McFadden, of Bishop Auckland, County Durham, took the witness stand at Teesside Crown Court to deny eight counts of indecent assault and four charges of gross indecency with a child.

He is accused of carrying out the abuse between 1989 and 2002, and is alleged to have offered the six victims cash in return for sexual favours.

The father-of-one told the court he had no idea why the girls made the allegations, but he said one of them was angry at him for cheating on his wife.

He denied an account by one of the victims that he had assaulted her on his wedding day after she attended the reception.

He said: "No, I did not indecently assault any of the girls. I did not expect to get charged with anything.

"I did not ever think this was going to happen. I felt absolutely terrible. I was shocked."

He admitted he had called one of the girls gorgeous and had told another she looked like a temptress when she was lying on the floor, but denied making any sexual suggestions towards them.

It is alleged he abused some of the girls in his lorry after taking them out for a ride.

Under cross-examination by prosecution barrister Deborah Sherwin, Mr McFadden said he had no idea why girls who lived in different areas of the country had made allegations against him.

He agreed he had been questioned by police in 2001 over two of the allegations, but said this did not make him wary of being alone with children.

"I did not see anything wrong. It did not cross my mind,", he said.

The jury returned a verdict of not guilty yesterday on an allegation of rape in the light of witness evidence and the charge was replaced with a count of having sexual intercourse with a girl under 13. He denied the allegation.

The trial against Mr McFadden, of South Church Road, continues.