A DRIVING instructor has told a jury that all eight women who have accused him of sexual assault are lying.

Frank Barham, 69, took the stand yesterday and today (Friday, November 1) in the second week of his trial at Chester Crown Court.

The married former Sergeant Major is alleged to have groped and abused the teenagers and young women while teaching them to drive between 1999 and 2017.

He stood trial for charges relating to six complainants back in January this year but the jury could not reach any verdicts.

Media coverage of the case then led a further three to make similar allegations to the police, which along with five of the original women makes a total of eight alleged victims.

Cross examining Barham, prosecuting barrister Andrew Green said the women did not know each other and had no known motive for lying.

“Your case, in essence, is that each and every one of these adult women has told lies about you, is that right?” asked Mr Green.

“Yes,” replied Barham. “They may have exaggerated the truth.”

It was put to him that he was both “intimidating” and “arrogant”, as several of the complainants described him.

“I don’t think I came across as intimidating towards them,” Barham told the jury of nine men and three women. “I may come across as arrogant – that might just be my Army service etcetera. “

Barham accepted that he would touch students on the knee or shoulder to point out blind spots or indicate to them that they were riding the clutch.

He denied any of the touching was sexual and said he felt “dirty and shocked” when a friend of one of the complainants telephoned him to complain about his behaviour.

Among the 19 charges levelled at him, it is alleged that he put his hand down girls’ tops to touch their breasts, caressed their thighs, put his hand down the underwear of one, kissed another full on the lips and lifted up the skirt of another student.

In the 2000s Barham was interviewed twice by the police after several allegations were made against him. However, no further action was taken.

“After the police failed to prosecute you twice you thought you were untouchable,” Mr Green told the defendant. “You carried on touching young women because you are arrogant.”

Mr Green also asked Barham about the driving instructors’ professional code of conduct, which essentially says ‘don’t touch unless in an emergency’.

He suggested the defendant had failed to observe both physical and conversational boundaries with teenage girls whose age meant it was unlikely they would confront him over his behaviour.

It was put to Barham that he encouraged his students to talk about sex and their private lives – something that he denied.

Barham told the jury that he felt some of the women were “over-sharing”, adding: “I’d say to them ‘I don’t need to know that’, but they’d carry on.”

But Mr Green hit back: “I suggest that wasn’t your style at all. I suggest in fact it was the opposite of that and you were quite ready and willing to engage in conversation about all sorts of personal stuff. That’s the truth isn’t it?”

“No,” replied the defendant.

The prosecutor also asked Barham why he had given music CDs to one of his students and allowed her to use his home computer to practice for her theory exam. Barham also admitted touching one girl’s hair.

“How is that observing professional boundaries?” Mr Green asked. “You gave her these things because you had spotted a way of earning her trust, a way to gain opportunities to touch her, a way to move things on… to touching her private parts.”

“No,” came Barham’s response.

Wrapping up his cross-examination, Mr Green told the defendant: “I suggest to you that your behaviour towards these women was opportunistic and predatory. What do you say to that?”

“I disagree with you,” replied Barham, who has now closed Frank's School of Motoring.

Barham, of Halton Road, Great Sutton, denies all charges against him.

The trial continues.