A MAN accused of grooming a schoolgirl before sexually abusing her claimed she had not been forced to perform sex acts at an Oxford park and was ‘just having banter’ with the men.

Three men deny counts of rape, indecent assault and conspiracy to rape: Mohammed Karrar, 44, Bassam Karrar, 39 and Anjum Dogar, 36 alleged to have been carried out on one child - now a woman.

One of the men, Anjum Dogar, took to the witness box, as their trial at Oxford Crown Court continued yesterday.

Answering questions from his defence barrister Jacob Hallam QC, he said that during two incidents alleged to have taken place at Cutteslowe Park, nothing untoward had ever taken place.

Dogar told jurors: “We used to go [to Cutteslowe Park] and socialise...and smoke some cannabis discretely.

“[On the first occasion] We were driving and someone in the back, one of the others, said stop the car. I stopped the car, one of the guys put the window down and could see [the alleged victim] walking. We asked if she wanted to come and chill out. I can’t remember what was said to her.”

Earlier in the trial jurors were told that on that occasion at the Oxford park the alleged victim was forced to perform sex acts on a number of men while in a parked people carrier.

Asked yesterday if he partook in any sexual activity on either occasion Dogar denied any involvement.

He added that there was never any use of force or pressure and said that she was ‘happy’ to come along to the park with the men.

Speaking of being at the park he said: “We parked and I started rolling a spliff, put on music and the guys in the back all were pouring themselves drink and smoking.

“[The alleged victim] was just having banter with the rest of them, I stayed in the car, she stayed in the car. I was smoking the spliff.”

He repeated that there was no use of force and he denied taking part in any sexual activity, claiming there was a ‘party sort of atmosphere’ within the group.

He said that the group later went there separate ways and that he went home early because he needed to get up in the morning to complete his morning prayers.

Dogar went on to deny anything untoward happening during a second occasion at Cutteslowe Park in which the woman allegedly ran from her abusers.

He also claimed that he was never present at Plowman Tower, in which the woman claims she was raped, and had never set foot in that building.

A third man on trial, Bassam Karrar, declined to go to the witness box, and the trial continues.