A MAN accused of sexually assaulting an eight-year-old girl has told a jury the allegations made him feel ‘sick’.

Trevor Billy Symonds, of Happy Island Way, Bridport, is facing a charge of sexual assault of a child under the age of 13 between November 2010 and November 2011.

The 30-year-old denies the offence and is standing trial at Dorchester Crown Court.

Giving evidence, Symonds said he was drunk on the occasion of the alleged incident and had little recollection but knew he would not have committed the offence.

He said: “I’m not that sort of person.

“I remember significant events and if it would have happened I would have remembered it.”

When asked how he felt when he heard about the allegations his young victim had made against him, the defendant replied: “It made me feel sick.”

He added that since the emergence of the allegations he had been suffering from anxiety and depression.

When asked in cross-examination why his alleged victim might have made up the accusations he faced, Symonds responded: “I honestly don’t know.”

The case continues.