A PE teacher claims his alleged sexual abuse of a pupil didn’t happen because “it just wasn’t possible”.

Colin Yeomans took to the witness box yesterday to argue his case against the 20 charges against him.

Yeomans is charged with sexual abuse of a girl under 16 over the course of a school year from 2003 to 2004.

The 46-year-old denies all charges, which range from indecent assault of a girl and sexual assault of a child while in a position of trust.

The alleged victim stated the pair had sex on numerous occasions throughout the year, including an occasion where Yeomans had allegedly driven out to where she was on a family holiday.

When this claim was put to Yeomans by his barrister Molly Pinkus on Thursday, he flatly denied it.

He said: “That time I would be visiting my family. They are in Lancashire.

“I was also down in Surrey with my wife. We were getting married that year, so she had things to do. We were getting married where she was from.”

Another one of the alleged incidents is where Yeomans allegedly told the girl to sit behind him on a coach back from a school trip, and told her to reach around the seat and touch him sexually.

Ms Pinkus said: “She alleges you made her reach around the seat and put her hand in your trousers. Did you ask her to do that?”

Yeomans, of Priory lane, Great Notley, replied: “No. It wasn’t possible. I have actually been on a coach since the accusation and tested trying to reach around the seat, and it just was not possible.”

The girl also alleged she went to Yeomans’ house and had sex with him in the spare room but he disputes her description of where the alleged abuse happened.

Yeomans, of Priory lane, Great Notley, told the court that her description of the room she gave in interviews was not accurate, as she said it was just a bed, but actually there were more pieces of furniture in the room including a chest of drawers.

The alleged victim previously told the court that Yeomans had written sexually inappropriate messages in her year book.

When shown images of the messages, Yeomans stated it was his handwriting but had never written anything to imply sexual content in any pupil’s leavers book.

The jury are set to begin deliberating on the trial at Basildon Crown Court today.