A MAN on trial for a historic child sex offence told the police there was "no relationship to hide" as he denied all allegations of sexual contact.

Brian Lee Cerqua, of Amesbury, has pleaded not guilty to one charge of sexual activity with a child with six counts which are said to have taken place between April 24, 2006, and April 23, 2009.

The alleged victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said Cerqua, 47, raped her when she was aged between 13 and 15 more than 30 times.

The father-of-four denies ever engaging in sexual activity with her and a transcript of his police interview was read out at Salisbury Crown Court on Tuesday, April 16.Salisbury Journal: Brian Lee Cerqua.Brian Lee Cerqua. (Image: Newsquest)

During the voluntary interview at Amesbury Police Station on April 28, 2022, Cerqua was quizzed on the allegations by Detective Sergeant Philippa Royston. He was never arrested.

The allegation of sexual touching from the age 12-and-a-half to 13 then sexual intercourse between the ages 13 to 15-and-a-half were put to Cerqua. He said it "never" happened, "not once".

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When asked how often he would give the complainant drugs and alcohol, Cerqua said: "Never. I wouldn’t even give the girl a spliff, cannabis joint, not one."

DSGT Royston also asked whether Cerqua had taken the complainant to meet a drug dealer in Bournemouth before having sex with her in his car in a layby.

He denied this and said: “If I was going to meet a drug dealer I wouldn’t take a child with me."

The allegation that Cerqua said people would "get the wrong impression" of his relationship with the complainant was put to him.

To this, he replied: “There’s no relationship to hide."

The complainant also claimed Cerqua gave her a key to his Lyndhurst Road bedsit but he denied this.

"She didn’t get it off me," he said, adding only he and his daughter had a key for the property.

See more: ​Brian Cerqua trial: Alleged victim 'felt she was in the wrong'

Cerqua told the police that the complainant visited him with her friend at this bedsit "once" before he took them to London to get food prior to starting his 5pm shift as a food delivery driver.

Following a short break to speak with his legal advisor, Cerqua prepared a statement which read: “I have denied the allegation to the best of my knowledge. I wish to conduct now a no comment interview."

DSGT Royston told the court that the complainant and two other witnesses refused to give their phones to the police. Cerqua's phone was never seized.

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Fern Russell, defending, presented Cerqua's criminal record which shows eight court appearances between 1996 and 2016 for various offences including drug possession, battery and theft.

Cerqua moved to Salisbury in the late 1990s to help care for his disabled brother who died a few years later.

He struck up a relationship with a carer's niece, whom he had a child with, but she moved on and Cerqua found life "difficult".

The court heard how Cerqua tried to end his life shortly afterwards by overdosing on drugs and flooded his home in the process.

This forced him to move to Amesbury during the early 2000s where he later met the complainant while he was 'trying to get his life sorted out'.

The trial continues.