A MAN who used to run a children’s home in Oxfordshire denied sexually abusing boys during the 1970s and 1980s.

Rodney Smallman took to the stand at Oxford Crown Court for the first time yesterday to deny 20 charges of indecent assault on males from February 1976 to March 1983.

The 72-year-old allegedly asked young boys to line up naked outside his bedroom for up to 15 minutes at a time while he watched them through a crack in the door.

Smallman, of Erica Close, Banbury, admitted that boys used his spare bedroom to get changed and wash but told the jury and Judge Zoe Smith there was nothing inappropriate.

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He said: “They would fold up their [clothes] and proceed to take a bath or shower while the others might be stood on the landing. It is complete nonsense to say that I was spying on them.”

Talking about allegations that he spanked boys with a brush, he said: “They did get their bottoms tanned from time to time, but it was a very rare occurrence.

“We’re talking about a punishment. There was no gratification.”

He also admitted having boys to sleep over in his cottage, saying it was to go gliding in the early hours of the morning.

Smallman told the court: “I was happy to share my life and my hobbies with them. That was the be all and end all.”

The home cannot be identified for legal reasons. The case continues.

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