The 44-year-old is accused of raping the 16-year-old at least 10 times, and faces a felony charge of aggravated rape.

The defendant stuck to the defense line he has taken from the beginning, that he had an affair with the girl for about 2.5 months and said that is why his estranged wife left him.

He further claimed that it was his fault for not talking to the 16-year-old girl’s father earlier.

However, he initially claimed that the 16-year-old approached him because she was obsessed with his son and then found a more secure and safe environment in him.

Finally, he allegedly claimed that his family had objected to this relationship and requested that phone privacy be lifted which has been seized to determine the messages they had exchanged, while forensic results on the 16-year-old are awaited.