A volunteer first-aider accused of using his position to sexually assault women has insisted his actions were "appropriate and called for".

John Franklin, who worked on Maidstone's Blue Bus, defended his treatment of two women on the vehicle.

The 39-year-old, of Kent Avenue, Sittingbourne, denies sexually assaulting one woman in December 2011 and another between January 2011 and April 2012.

He also denies indecently assaulting a woman in 1996 and raping her.

Franklin, a self-employed health and safety consultant, said the alleged sex assault and rape in 1996 was a complete fabrication on the part of the woman.

He told the court that between 1992 and 1997 he was serving with the Royal Engineers and had been section medic during a tour in Bosnia.

In 2010 he joined the St John Ambulance and was with the organisation for about two years. During that time he trained to a high level and completed ECG and drugs courses.

He set up his own company JR Ambulance Services and joined the Blue Bus - a community bus designed to relieve stress on A&E departments at weekends - in 2010 as an advanced first-aider.

Franklin told the jury he could recall clearly an incident on the bus in December 2011 when a woman turned up for help after suffering a panic attack.

He said he carried out the usual checks and because she was complaining of chest discomfort he decided to do an ECG.

"I am qualified to do this and I explained all about it to her," Franklin told the court. "She removed her dress and bra and was covered with a blanket.

"She chose to take her dress off. I asked her to roll her tights down. She took off her bra.

"I could not get the leads on her if she was wearing a bra. I placed the pads on her chest and this involved lifting her left breast. She had a blanket on her."

Franklin also recalled another incident with an unknown woman, the subject of the January 2011 to April 2012 charge.

"I recall a female coming to the bus," he told the jury. "She was intoxicated and in and out of consciousness and in some discomfort.

"She suggested that she had abdominal discomfort. She did not know if she was pregnant, bleeding or having her monthly cycle.

"I asked her if I could check and she said yes. I parted her legs slightly. She was wearing some kind of hot pants outfit.

"I saw the string from her tampon. I thought that was the cause of her abdominal discomfort. In my view I had obtained consent.

"The treatment I gave those two women was appropriate and it was called for."

Earlier in the trial, Anthony Prosser, prosecuting, said to the jury: "Was there a sexual motivation behind this touching or was it done for medical reasons?"

The trial continues.