A 67-year-old man, accused of offering £1,000 to a 15-year-old girl for sex, told a jury it was inappropriate for him to put cigarettes down the front of her top, but denied it was sexually motivated.

Grey-haired Ray Spence, who uses a hearing aid, yesterday admitted he had £1,000 available to pay for the girl to have a modelling portfolio.

But he insisted the money was not for sex.

Spence, of Staveley Road, Ingrow, Keighley, has pleaded not guilty to causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and two charges of sexual assault.

The prosecution alleges the pensioner offered the girl £1,000 for sex, bought her scanty underwear, pestered her with text messages, suggested a weekend together in Blackpool, kissed her and squeezed her buttocks.

He is also alleged to have given her cigarettes, which he put down her vest top.

Giving evidence at Bradford Crown Court yesterday, Spence admitted he had called the girl “gorgeous”, but said the comments were not sexually motivated.

He explained that he said he “fancied the pants off her” as a joke, and dismissed nicknaming her “Juicy” as “just a name”.

Spence said he did not see anything inappropriate about buying thongs for the teenager and said it was just an item of clothing.

He admitted giving the girl cigarettes and putting them down her top. He told the jury: “I know it’s not appropriate now, I do feel there’s a lesson being learned there.”

Asked whether it was sexually motivated, Spence said: “It was just a case of straight down. There was no pulling the top out or looking down.”

He denied ever kissing the girl “properly”. He added: “I would never pull her to me, or hold her. It was just a case of a peck and away. It was a fun thing.”

He said that looking back it was inappropriate, but “certainly not sexual”.

Spence denied squeezing the girl’s bottom, but said on one occasion he put his hand at the side of her bottom as he ushered her out of the kitchen.

He said: “It was just a case of moving her on. I was rather bothered about my cooking.”

The pensioner said he told the girl £1,000 was available if she got modelling work experience.

“It would have been available for a very expensive item, a proper portfolio,” he told the jury.

Asked whether he said anything about the £1,000 being for sex, he replied: “I never discussed sex at all with her. I don’t remember ever saying the word to her.”

Spence denied having sexual feelings towards the girl and said he could think of no reason why she was making the accusations against him.

The trial continues.