Merseyside police officer 'shocked by sex predator claim'
A Merseyside police officer accused of acting like a sexual predator was "shocked and stunned" when the allegations emerged, a court heard.
PC John Forrester, 40, is accused of taking advantage of women while on duty, Liverpool Crown Court was told.
PC Forrester, of Halewood, Liverpool, denies four counts of misconduct in a public office.
He engaged or attempting to engage three women in sexual activity, prosecutors allege.
The defendant is also charged, under the Data Protection Act, with eight counts of accessing personal data on the police computer system involving a further two women.
'Doing my job'
Giving evidence, PC Forrester said: "I am shocked and stunned by the allegations that [the three women] have made against me and I have been since the allegations became apparent."
Duncan Bould, prosecuting, asked the defendant if he was suggesting that all three women had in some way "got their heads together" to get him into trouble.
PC Forrester said he did not think so, but added: "Unless there is something I am unaware of."
Mr Bould then challenged the officer alleging he had been "trying to work out what to say" in response to the accusations.
PC Forrester replied: "Not trying to work out. I know I have not done anything."
In relation to the data protection allegations PC Forrester, who has been a police officer for 14 years, said he only accessed the police computer to look at personal files for "training and policing purposes".
When asked by Mr Bould why he said in police interviews that he had looked at some files simply out of "nosiness and curiosity", he said: "There's a difference between a police nosiness and curiosity for a policing purpose.
"There's a difference between policing and something for your own personal needs. This was me doing my job."
The trial continues.