A MAN accused of raping a vulnerable teenager insisted: It was not me.

The man alleged to have twice raped the 15-year-old girl with learning difficulties claimed she had been having sex on the moors with her boyfriend.

David Bentley, of Bath Street, Huddersfield, who denies raping the girl, now 16, at her home in the Bradford area on April 10 and 11 last year, made the claims yesterday.

The 50-year-old appeared at Bradford Crown Court to give evidence yesterday.

He denied raping the girl, saying she had told him on a number of occasions she had been sexually active with her boyfriend.

He told the court: "Some of the talk that she was coming out with was totally disgusting like she was having sex with him in his car up on the moors."

When asked whether he knew the girl, who has a mental age of five, was vulnerable, he said: "I knew she was vulnerable, I knew she’s got learning difficulties.

"I’m not guilty because I’d never touch a child – I’d never, ever touch a child."

He added: "I feel disgusted, horrified and totally mortified."

Doctors examining the teenager were told by the girl and her mother that the teenager had never had intercourse before and the rape would have been the first time.

The doctors said the girl had injuries which could have been "consistent" with the alleged rapes.

David Moulson, prosecuting, said Bentley had targeted the girl because she was vulnerable and had looked for opportunities when they could be alone.

He said Bentley had not co-operated with police when interviewed and had answered "no comment" to every question put to him.

Bentley said he had made "no comment" under instruction from his solicitor.

Mr Moulson asked Bentley why the girl would have any reason to lie and say he had raped her.

The defendant answered: "I don’t know."

Mr Moulson asked: "Is it because she’s a liar?"

The defendant replied: "I do not know, I didn’t know her that much."

Gillian Batts, defending, said to the jury: "You will know from your everyday experiences in life that people, including young people, tell lies for all different types of reasons.

"It doesn’t mean necessarily that because she’s got learning difficulties that she’s incapable of lying."

Miss Batts said there had been inconsistencies in the teenager’s evidence and said her account had been a "work of fiction".

She added: "Even though she may be presented as a child of five because of her learning difficulties, she was in fact 15."

She said most teenagers of that age would start thinking about sex and the girl had obviously shown she had known what sex was and had been "sexually active".

The jury are expected to retire today to consider their verdicts.