The 39-year-old is accused of touching the bottoms of two women in Hook restaurant last year.
He said he had met one of the complainants briefly, several months before. They had been introduced by her husband, whom he knew through work.
He had not met the other until that evening.
The court was told that on that day, the defendant had attended a football match at Victoria Park and had three pints during the course of the game before heading into town. He went to a couple more establishments before he went to Hook and waited for friends.
The two female complainants arrived at Hook with the friend he had agreed to meet.
The defendant said that the atmosphere of the evening was fun, the group laughing and joking.
He said none of the conversation was of a sexual nature, although they did discuss relationships and fitness.
He asked one of the women if she was getting fit because she was planning on having an affair on her husband, but claimed that he had said it as a joke.
They also discussed plastic surgery and body modifications, but the defendant denied that any of his comments were sexualised or misogynistic, saying it was all ‘tongue in cheek’ and ‘banter’.
The defendant said that the action of touching both of their bottoms was him getting their attention and saying goodbye.
He maintained his stance that he had no reason to question the complainants’ accounts, as they ‘didn’t seem the type to make false accusations’.
He continued to say that he had no recollection of the incident and had a patchy memory of leaving Hook and going home.
The trial continues and is expected to conclude early next week.
