A man accused of raping a 70-year-old woman and assaulting a teenage girl took to the stand for the first time.
The alleged incidents were said to have happened within less than two weeks of each other in Farnworth in summer of last year, Bolton Crown Court was told.
Issa Brayzi-Pour, of Avondale Road, Wigan, is charged with two counts of rape, one count of sexual assault and one count of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity. He denies all charges against him.
READ MORE: Radcliffe: Man who murdered landlord died in prison.
On Monday, he took to the stand for the first time to tell the court his account of the two nights in question.
Via a Kurdish Sorani interpreter, Brayzi-Pour said the teenage girl, who is under the age of 16, asked for some cash in return for 'a sexual interaction' while he was out for a walk.
He said he accepted, but he changed his mind after asking her age. There was no sexual assault and no inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, he told the court.
READ MORE: Man arrested after child 'snatched' on Mayor Street.
He said: "She asked me if I smoke, I told her I don't smoke. After I told her I don't smoke she asked for some cash in return for a sexual interaction. I agreed."
He added: "I asked her age as I thought she was so young. I told her I'm really sorry, I cannot do this with you, you're too young."
In relation to the 70-year-old woman, Brayzi-Pour said she consented to sexual intercourse after the two of them met in the street.
He said: "She was asking me if I like sex, it was a bit strange to me and I was shocked. I said I do, but she was talking too much and I didn't understand it."
When Brayzi-Pour was arrested a few days later, he told police he was at his address in Wigan at the time of the alleged incidents. He accepted it was a lie.
He said: "It was my first time to be arrested and I was scared."
The trial before Recorder Andrew McLoughlin continues at Bolton Crown Court this week.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article