A SCIENCE teacher nicknamed "Mr Perv" by pupils claimed he could become a target for compensation claims after he was accused of indecent assault.
Interviewed by police, Christopher Hird denied any wrong-doing after a third girl came forward with a similar complaint following initial allegations against him.
Mr Hird, 48, is accused of touching girls aged 11 to 16 at South Holderness Technology College in Preston while working as a chemistry teacher.
He told police: "When you think I have taught thousands and thousands of pupils then it's open season for compensation."
Stepping into the witness box during his trial at Hull Crown Court, Mr Hird insisted he would go round students in his classroom to give them one-to-one attention.
He said: "I am an enthusiastic, dedicated teacher with students' best interests at heart. I always wanted them to get good results and fulfil their best potential.
"You need to be close to them to get towards their eyeline and see their work and diagnose problems and advise and tell them the answers. I placed myself in the best position to see their work."
Mr Hird, head of science at the school, is alleged to have stroked their hair and faces and touched their thighs and hips inappropriately.
Giving evidence in his defence, he said: "It is best practice to circulate around the classroom as much as possible. It gives you the opportunity to speak to students on an individual basis and deal with problems.
"It is impossible to read a student's work without coming into close contact with them."
When asked if he would scan the classroom looking at girls' breasts, he said: "No, I am usually scanning the room as there are lots of things to do. When you are at the front, you are speaking to them and concentrating on what you are saying."
He told the jury he had never heard rumours of pupils calling him "Mr Perv" until the allegations were made against him.
His barrister, Mark McKone, asked him if he had ever gained sexual gratification from touching pupils.
He replied: "No. There is far too much to going on in a lab to be motivated in that way. There are so many things I have to plan and keep an eye on."
Mr Hird denied sexually assaulting any pupils.
The court heard he had put his arm under one girl's arm and brushed against her chest.
In cross-examination, prosecutor Simon Waley suggested Mr Hird should not have put his hand underneath the girl's arm.
He said: "If I had gone over the top and been leaning forward, there would have been more chance of touching her in a different place."
Mr Waley replied: "Perhaps the shoulder rather than the breast."
Mr Hird, who has been a teacher for 24 years and worked at the school for 12 years, is charged with three counts of sexual assault and one count of indecent assault against three girls.
Mr Hird, of South Cave, denies the charges and the trial continues.
