A FORMER teacher accused of indecently assaulting schoolgirls has denied he ever behaved inappropriately with children.

Giving evidence in his own defence at Bolton Crown Court, Neville Moss told a jury that he could not remember the girls who have made accusations against him dating from when he taught at Oxford Grove primary school, Halliwell, 30 years ago.

Moss, now of Smithy Knoll Road, Calver, Derbyshire, denies six counts of indecent assault against the two alleged victims.

Yesterday, on the direction of the judge Graeme Smith, the jury found him not guilty of three of the counts after one of the girls, while giving evidence, could only recall once instance where she was sat on Moss' knee and he was said to have stroked her upper

leg.

Moss is also accused of stroking another girl's leg behind his desk while marking her work.

In the witness box Moss, a father-of-five, was asked by Kirsten Beswick, defending: "Have you ever touched a child that you were teaching, or any child, in a sexual manner?"

Moss replied: "Never."

The pensioner, now aged 69, told the court how he began teaching in 1971 and was "quite relaxed" with pupils, such as putting an arm around them, but never invited children to sit on his knee or touched them inappropriately.

He added that he liked to think he was a "popular" teacher with the pupils.and denied a suggestion made by one of his accusers that the Oxford Grove headteacher had spoken to him about his behaviour towards

children.

Character witness, retired headteacher Christine Wilkinson, told the court that she has known Moss for 44 years and he had worked at her school, Greenmount Primary, for several weeks.

She said: "He was inspirational. He was very, very committed to the children and their well-being and spent hours of his time at home preparing work for them."

Mrs Wilkinson added: "He had an open classroom so people could walk in if they wanted to.

"He had a very easy manner with the children. Professional is the word I would use."

When asked whether she had ever had any concerns about Moss's behaviour towards children she replied: "Never, not once."

The trial continues.