A Neyland man told police after his arrest that he could not explain why four people had complained that he sexually abused them when they were children.

John Smith, aged 47, also denied that pornography found on two devices at his home had been downloaded by him.

Smith, of High Street, is on trial at Swansea crown court accused of 28 sexual offences, including indecent assault, indecency with a child, sexual assault and intercourse with a girl aged under 13.

Smith - who was once known as Mathew Griffiths - also denies possessing indecent images of children, making such images, and the possession of extreme pornography depicting sex with animals.

Det Con Lisa Roberts today told the jury how Smith responded to questions after his arrest.

He denied touching any of the alleged victims sexually either with or without their consent.

The court heard that the woman who made the most serious complaints against him had gone to the police after reading in the Western Telegraph that he had been arrested and charged in relation to the other alleged offending.

Smith was questioned about internet searches made on a laptop computer which had led to websites and other sites of interest to paedophiles.

He said he had searched for "British porn" but he had had no interest in children.

One of the devices, he said, was a hard drive that belonged to someone else and he was not responsible for what that person had downloaded.

He said he could repair computers for other people and to do so would sometimes download a hard drive onto his computer and that might explain how the material got there.

Smith, who worked over the years as a bouncer at St Davids rugby club, a taxi driver and for a vermin extermination company, denies all the charges.

He is expected to give evidence on his own behalf tomorrow (Wednesday).

Paul Hobson, prosecuting, had told the jury that after assaulting one of the girls Smith said to her, "There, that's your virginity gone. Do you feel any different?"

The jury heard that the charges involved a boy aged at the time about eight, and three girls aged about 11.

Mr Hobson said Smith went to great lengths to persuade the boy that the sexual assaults he was suffering reflected normal behaviour. On one occasion Smith gave him a letter, purportedly written by another boy who wanted to reassure the victim that he was doing nothing wrong.

Smith, added Mr Hobson, also gave him a tape recording in which the "boy" said he did similar things with a grown man and that "it was ok."

But, said Mr Hobson, the victim always had a feeling he was listening to Smith's voice and not that of a boy.

He said the jury might find it significant that when the victim - now a grown man - told police what Smith had done to him he also told officers that Smith had been interested in extreme pornography involving women having sex with animals.

After his arrest, said Mr Hobson, police found exactly that type of pornography on his computer.

The trial continues.