A 38-YEAR-OLD man accused of grooming three underage schoolgirls for sexual gratification told a jury he took them "cruising" because they begged him to.

Paul Milner said the youngsters, aged 13 to 14, refused to take no for an answer.

"I wasn't expecting to get anything from these girls. They just came knocking on my door," he said.

He agreed he took them out in the dark in his car, saying he bought them alcopops and cigarettes and they all listened to music.

Milner said he never touched any of the children inappropriately, or wanted to.

Although some of them were "reasonably attractive" he was not sexually drawn to them, Milner told the jury.

Milner, of Bramble Close, Clayton, Bradford, denies three charges of meeting a child following sexual grooming, two counts of causing a child to watch a sexual act and one offence of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

All the allegations are said to have happened in March 2014 when two of the girls were 13 and the other 14.

Milner yesterday told Bradford Crown Court the girls, and their 16-year-old friend, repeatedly came knocking on his door and texted him, begging to be taken cruising.

He often told them he was tired, or busy, but they continually pestered him.

"They were coming to me. I never went to them," he stated.

"I said they were coming too much, night after night after night - it's getting ridiculous."

Milner added: "I never expected them to come 20 nights on the trot. I never in a million years expected that."

He denied looking through a window at the girls in his bathroom, saying he knocked on it for a joke and a laugh.

Milner agreed he filmed one underage girl twerking, saying she was no good at it and he wanted to "take the mickey".

He put on a few minutes of adult pornography for the girls when the 16-year-old demanded he play it.

"With hindsight, I can say it wasn't the right thing to do. It was a spur of the moment action. I didn't think. I just put it on," he said.

He denied saying the girls should look "slutty" for a party, telling the court he told them they "needed the wow factor" for the event.

He and the girls looked at bum shorts on the Amazon website but he did not buy them any.

Milner admitted sending inappropriate text messages to one girl but denied encouraging her friend to have sex with a boy.

Questioned by prosecuting barrister Simon Kealey, Milner said he never bought the girls neat vodka.

He also denied grooming the girls for his sexual gratification and he said he had no ulterior motive when he bought them alcohol, cigarettes and takeaway food.

The trial continues.