A FORMER Anglican minister accused of sexual assault denies exposing himself to his alleged victim claiming only to have interacted with her superficially, a court has heard.

Retired Roy Catchpole, formerly of St Paul's Church in Sherborne, said he didn't understand why the victim made the accusations which have led to him facing three counts of sexual assault and one of exposure on a series of occasions between August 2013 and June 2014.

Jurors were told about the collapse of his first marriage in 1994 which was reported at the time in the national press.

Catchpole told the hearing yesterday he and his then wife became estranged over how to treat their schizophrenic son before he left the family home and started seeing another woman - a then member of his congregation - and his second wife of 17 years.

Giving his affirmation rather than swearing on the bible, he said: "This isn't something I have kept quiet about. It was published in The Sun. In the middle of a crisis and you've lost your home and your family and your son is desperately ill, to have someone show interest in your life - though it be a Sun reporter - it's not unbelievable."

The 69-year-old claimed the victim, who cannot be identified, had shown interest in him - though had thought nothing of it until the start of his trial.

"I think partly one afternoon-evening she became very friendly towards me," he said. "I don't recollect exactly what was said or done but, so much so, that she felt the need to go across to my wife to apologise to her, that she didn't worry and she didn't mean anything by it. That's the only occasion and I didn't think anything of it at the time. It was only after all this came up that we thought about it and wondered what her motive might be.

"The woman who spoke from behind this curtain a few days ago is not someone I recognise at all," he added. "I'm not a psychologist but it seems like two different people to me. I don't understand it. Our social interaction was pretty superficial. It was visiting, sitting and chatting together and keeping one another company occasionally but not in any depth."

He revealed his stomach during the hearing, showing small puncture-life scars, caused by an adrenalectomy he'd had done in 2000.

When asked if the victim ever saw them, he said: "Not as far as I know. I say that because some years ago I hosted a celebration, a major Christian festival. We played games in the summer and we were playing with our tops off."

Bournemouth Crown Court heard the defendant, of Milborne Port in Somerset, had several brushes with the law as a youngster - namely stealing cars - before he 'had his calling' while at Borstal - now known as HMP Rochester.

He claims to play the piano every morning, since the beginning of the trial, to calm himself.

The trial continues.