A FORMER Quarrier's Home house parent has denied carrying out a catalogue of sexual abuse charges against eight young girls in his care.

Alexander Wilson (61) is alleged to have molested and raped the girls over a 19-year period beginning in 1965.

Many of the women wept as they gave evidence at the High Court in Glasgow.

One of them claimed Wilson sexually assaulted her after she was sick on a car journey from the home in Bridge of Weir.

She said: "He stopped to let me out. As I leaned over a dyke he came up behind me and abused me."

Wilson told his defence advocate Donald MacLeod how he went to work as a plumber in the laundry at the home in 1966 before he and his late wife Jan became house parents the following year.

He denied the allegations made by the women.

Prosecutor John Martin said that none of the women had been in touch with each other since leaving the home many years ago and asked Wilson: "Why should they come to court and put themselves through all the distress in giving evidence?"

Wilson replied: "I don't know."

Earlier the court heard some of the women say they did not tell the authorities about the alleged abuse until Wilson's wife, Jan, whom they all liked and admired, died in 1995.

Wilson was made redundant in 1987 and worked as a bus driver until he lost a leg through smoking.

One woman, now in her thirties, sobbed as she told the jury how Wilson abused her in the bathroom and bedroom and while the other children were out playing games.

She said Wilson would regularly call out a name of one of the girls to go upstairs in the pretence that their bed was unmade and she would then be abused by the accused.

Aged 10, she complained to a senior staff member and was told she was a liar.

One woman said she was abused by Wilson after she left Quarrier's and returned with her toddler daughter to visit his wife.

She told Mr Martin: "I let him do it. If he did it to me he would not do it to my daughter."

She said that on one occasion Wilson gave her a lift when she got off the bus from Greenock and when she objected to him groping her he stopped the car and pushed her out onto the road.

Three of the 19 charges were dropped at the end of the Crown case yesterday before Wilson began giving evidence.

The trial continues.