A former police officer accused of having inappropriate relationships with two girls has told how the youngsters became “infatuated” with him.

Paul Traynier, of Cliffe Road, Strood, is on trial accused of sexual assault and two offences of perverting the course of justice.

The 40-year-old is alleged to have lied and deceived people into believing nothing was happening.

The jury was previously told he gave a 12-year-old girl a love bite during play fighting and a sexual relationship was said to have developed between him and an older girl.

But he has denied doing anything wrong when he gave evidence in court.

Last week, Traynier’s partner Tracey Sales, 36, was cleared of aiding, abetting, counselling or procuring sexual assault of a child and perverting the course of justice.

Giving evidence this week, Traynier was asked why two young girls developed a crush on him. He said: “I don’t know really. I think it is because I’m a happy-go-lucky person.”

He told the jury how his relationship with a 16-year-old girl started to develop after “their eyes met for a fleeting moment”, but denies being involved with her when she was 15.

After being injured in a water fight, Traynier took the girl inside to deal with her injuries.

He said: “When I was dealing with her injuries, our eyes met for a fleeting moment, but there was nothing there. I was pretty close to her but there was nothing there.

“She looked at me and I looked at her. There was just a very strange reaction. But as quick as it came it went. No one said anything.”

He later received a text message from her and told how general ‘chit chat’ turned into talk about his relationship with his girlfriend Tracey Sales and about her feelings for him.

He said while he had moral doubts about the relationship, he was in a depressed state after finding out his girlfriend, Tracey, had had an affair.

Talking about how the relationship started, Traynier said: “I had refused her advances for the period of July. I was just really depressed, very down. I had been written off sick from work. I was just in a bad place. She came along, showed me this bit of affection, it just grew from there really. It just happened. It wasn’t a planned thing.”

He also denied giving a 12-year-old a love bite during play fighting.

Traynier claims the girl, who was frequently at their house, became ‘infatuated’ with him and would follow him around, pushing and poking him. But he never touched her, or let her become involved in the play fighting.

After both his girlfriend and father pointed out the girls’ behaviour, Traynier decided to talk to her.

“I said to her when you are poking me, following me around, pushing me, I find it uncomfortable. It needs to stop. Her eyes started to well up. She started to get a little bit upset. That wasn’t my intention. She started to fast walk through the conservatory saying ‘I don’t ****ing want to be here anyway.”

He claims it was the last time he saw the girl. Traynier’s parents John, 64, and Sheila Traynier, 65, also of Cliffe Road, Strood, deny two charges of perverting the course of justice.

The trial continues.