“I FELT physically sick,” said a Bicester man upon allegedly finding out a girl he met on a night out was 14-years-old.

Stuart Crawford, of Market Way End, is on trial at Oxford Crown Court charged with three counts – three counts of sexual activity with a child and offering to supply a Class A drug, namely cocaine.

The 42-year-old is accused of assaulting a 14-year-old girl on October 22, 2022, outside The Ashton Club in Sheep Street.

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Crawford has admitted to being with the girl in the early hours of the morning but denies sexually touching her or supplying her cocaine.

During the trial on Thursday (August 15), Crawford took the stand to give his defence case.

He told the jury that he had touched the girl but believed she was 18.

He said: “It was 1am, half one, in the morning, they had wine, there were revellers out, I thought she was at least 18.”

Crawford there was ‘definitely’ no discussion about ages.

When describing his account of what happened, he said: “Well, she had her hand on my leg when I was crouched down and at time I just thought it was flirting so I did the same back.

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“I had my hand around her and she carried on with her hand on my leg and I did go up her bra and then, yeah, I did put my hand down her back going into her knickers, yeah.”

When asked if he had penetrated the girl, he said: “I believe not. The angle I was sat at I couldn’t…my arm doesn’t bend that way.”

Crawford was also asked by his lawyer about whether he had brought cocaine and offered it to the girl and her friend.

“I don’t take it [cocaine] out because of the risk of getting caught with it,” he said. “It didn’t come from me.”

He said he doesn’t recall where the cocaine came from.

When asked what he would have done if he knew she was 14, Crawford said: “I would have walked out of the alleyway, honestly.”

The defendant was then cross-examined by the prosecuting barrister, who asked Crawford if he had touched the girl’s genitals.

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He said: “I was inside her knickers but not inside her…was I rubbing it? No, her friend was sat right next to us.

“I felt physically sick and ashamed of myself when I got arrested and found out about their ages.”

The defence case has now finished and the jury are due to retire to deliberate on their verdicts.