AN ALLEGED groomer in a child sexual exploitation trial told jurors he thought his alleged victim was 17 and added he was ‘no angel’ but no paedophile either.

Three men deny counts of rape, indecent assault and conspiracy to rape: Mohammed Karrar, 44, Bassam Karrar, 39 and Anjum Dogar, 36 alleged to have been carried out on one child - now a woman.

Prosecutors allege that the men groomed their victim before sexually abusing her on numerous occasions.

As their trial at Oxford Crown Court continued yesterday Mohammed Karrar took to the witness box to profess his innocence and deny any wrong-doing.

Answering questions from his defence barrister Dorian Lovell-Pank QC he claimed the first time he met his alleged victim she told him she was 17.

Speaking of the time he first met the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, he said it was in the summer of 2006 at Marston Road, Oxford when he saw her together with a friend of hers.

He said: “I noticed [her and a friend] walking past and they shouted something and approached me, then started talking.

“General things what people say when they meet each other; names, where you’re from, what they do, things like that.”

He went on to say that when they approached he noticed that ‘they were flirting’ with him.

Asked if they told him their age he said they had claimed to be 17.

Answering questions about an incident at Riverside Court in which the school girl allegedly danced in her underwear for men he said he had the impression the woman ‘fancied him’.

He said: “She made a pass, grabbing me, touching my bum, things like that.”

Going on to talk about an incident at Plowman Tower, in which the woman was allegedly raped, he told jurors that she had come on to him.

He told the court: “She came out the bathroom and stood by the door. I finished what I was doing as I was coming out she grabbed me and grabbed my groin area and started kissing my neck.

“I said to her ‘what you doing’, she said ‘don’t you want to do something?’

He went on to claim that the pair went to the bedroom while she led him, holding his hand, before the woman started to ‘strip’ and took her top off.

He said that because he was worried about not using protection they did not have sex but she performed a sex act on him instead.

Karrar added that this was the last time they ever had any sexual contact.

During cross examination with prosecutor Olive Saxby QC Karrar told jurors that he was no angel but denied any wrong-doing.

He said: “I am not an angel, I am not trying to say I am an angel, but I am not a paedophile, I am not a rapist.

“I told the truth, if you believe it you believe it, if you don’t; whatever. I told the truth, I have nothing to hide, nothing to gain, nothing to lose.”

He added that the alleged victim may have wanted financial gain when she made her complaint.

Asked by Mr Saxby if he had checked the girl’s age when he first met her Karrar said he did not and told jurors he had not asked to see any ID.

All three men deny a string of charges alleging child sexual exploitation and the trial continues.