One of four women who claim they were indecently assaulted by a Keighley toyshop owner was accused this week of telling lies in Court.

Father-of-two George Barry Walker, who owns Conways Toymaster in Cavendish Street, has pleaded not guilty to 12 charges of indecent assault.

He admitted telling police that vengeance might have been the motive for the women's allegations.

On Monday his barrister, Robert Smith QC, told the jury at Bradford Crown Court there was evidence that two of the alleged incidents could not have happened. He said the defence would not shrink from saying that one of the women had not told the truth.

Mr Smith added: "Is this prosecution tainted by what is going to be proved to be demonstrably false complaints by one woman who was known to the others?

"Once allegations of this sort are made, you may think, it is very difficult to rebut them. In this case it becomes the word of Mr Walker against that of others.

"We intend to go further than that. We intend to put evidence before you, apart from that of Mr Walker, which we say will prove that two major identified events in this case could never have occurred."

Walker, 58, of Chevin Avenue, Menston, told the court that he had no specific reason for believing the women were seeking vengeance on him, but persistent questioning by the police had made him suggest it as a possible motive.

He said that on the day he was alleged to have carried out one of the assaults he had been telephoned by his daughter after her car broke down on the way to Birmingham.

The woman had alleged that she was at his home for several hours, but he claimed that he had just gone home to collect his family's spare car and was only there for about 40 minutes. He said he had then returned to Keighley where he had a meeting with a sales rep before starting off for Birmingham at about 3pm.

On an occasion in June 1996 when he is alleged to have kissed the woman and put his tongue inside her mouth he said he had gone to a funeral in Oxenhope and later driven to Daventry to take part in a golf tournament.

The jury is expected to consider its verdicts today.

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