66-year-old churchman John William McConaghy, (pictured left) known as Jack, from Urbal Road, Dervock, was giving evidence on his own behalf at his Antrim Crown Court trial on Tuesday of last week.

The elder of Ballycastle Gospel Hall, who faces a total of 21 charges of indecent assault was on trial with his 53-year-old cousin John McElheran from Ballinlea Road, Stranocum, who denied a total of four counts.

A 44-year-old mother of one, has claimed that wheelchair bound McConaghy sexually abused her so much, that she began to think such behaviour was "the norm", and that the abuse took place from when she was aged about 11 in June 1975, up until she was 18 around December 1983.

The woman claimed the church elder offered her to two people, telling them "What about having a go at her? Do you not think she is worth a try?"

Nothing occurred then, however on a second occasion when he told his cousin McElheran, "now's your chance. Go on ahead", he allegedly took the opportunity to abuse her, the court heard.

McConaghy however, dismissed this allegation and all others out of hand, telling his defence QC Alan Kane that "it absolutely never happened".

The pensioner who said he'd been a church elder since 1977 and a Sunday School teacher for over 30 years without even one complaint against his behaviour.

Time and again Mr Kane put the sex claims to him, how he would try, and on occasions did touch the girl and that he had offered her up to his young cousin. And each time he was asked for his response to them, the elder would categorically deny them.

"I totally deny them .... That's untrue.... It never happened, never.... I says that's totally untrue .... That's completely false ... That never happened ...." McConaghy told the court as each of the allegations were put to him.

On the specific claim that he had incited his cousin, "through rude remarks" to abuse the then teenage girl, McConaghy replied that "being members of the Gospel Hall we would never lower ourselves to have such a conversation".

However, when asked what he believed was behind the allegations, McConaghy "speculated" it arose from around 2001 when he was stripped of his position as an elder after having ' gossiped' about members of the congregation.

He claimed that when the following year he was asked to become an elder again, the family of the woman making the abuse claims, left the Gospel Hall and have since "isolated themselves" from the congregation.

However, McConaghy claimed that when the woman was getting married he'd received an invite to the wedding, although he could not attend for medical reasons, and that on one occasion he supplied her with a written reference which helped her get a job in England.