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An alleged paedophile claimed a string of child abuse accusations had been "fabricated", decades after he was supposed to have carried out the attacks.

Four women claim they were abused as children by David Greensmith, 62.

He raped his first victim in the early 1960s, when he was a teenager, a court heard.

The other young girls were allegedly assaulted over the following 25 years.

But Stephen Rose, defending, claimed the allegations had been fabricated by the women years later.

He said "alarming similarities" between their evidence showed "collusion", and that their stories were "unreliable and interchangeable".

The women all denied making up the accusations.

Greensmith, of Tower Street, Brightlingsea, did not give evidence at his trial.

But Basildon Crown Court heard he had denied charges of rape, attempted rape and indecent assault in a written statement to police.

Mr Rose told the jury Greensmith's "dignified silence" should not go against him.

"Just imagine if you had to defend yourself against a raft of allegations from your schooldays. Put yourself in that position - particularly if you were completely innocent," he said.

The court heard Greensmith had no previous convictions for sexual offences.

Police had also trawled records at St Charles' Youth Treatment Centre, in Brentwood, where he worked with vulnerable children in the 1970s and 1980s, but unearthed no complaints against him.

Greensmith denies five counts of rape, two attempted rapes and seven charges of indecent assault. between 1961 and 1986.

The jury is expected to start considering its verdict today.

10:59am Friday 9th May 2008

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