THE older sister of a man accused of sexually abusing two young girls nine years apart told a jury, ‘They are false allegations’.

Rebecca Granato said she had visited her brother James’ flat to see her niece on the day a 12-year-old girl said he groped her, after he asked for a leg massage.

And she said she never saw a second girl, who accused him of groping her when she was nine, visiting their family home, where the abuse is said to have taken place.

Granato, who has served jail time for attempted rape, denies the allegations from both girls, one of whom is now a woman in her 20s.

Rebecca, five years older than James, said after he was charged with a sex attack in 20014 she uncovered a picture taken with her iPhone on the day it was said to have happened.

The image, which she says was taken at 12.07pm, showed her husband holding their niece, which reminded her that her brother was not there at the time.

She said she was living in Slough at the time and dropped in to see her two-month-old niece on the way to Bridgwater where she was picking up some kittens.

During the brief visit she said her brother was not there, though the child who is making one of the accusations was.

Giving evidence at his trial before Swindon Crown Court she said: "They are false allegations".

Under cross examination from Tessa Hingston, prosecuting, she was asked if she was aware her brother had initially pleaded not guilty to the offence he was jailed for.

Miss Hingston asked: "Did he tell you that was a false allegation?" to which she replied "He didn’t have to tell me anything at the time".

Rebecca said: “He told me it was a crazy allegation and he has my full support,” adding crazy was her word and that it was all in the past.

Judge Sir John Royce then asked "Did he tell you it was a false allegation in 2009?" to which she replied "We didn’t have that conversation."

Granato is accused of repeatedly putting hand down the trousers of the nine-year-old daughter of family friends between 2003 and 2005.

And he is also said to have got a nine-year-old, whose family were close to his wife Kayleigh, to touch him when she visited their home in November 2014.

Kayleigh said she also found a picture which she said was taken on the day the second girl said she abused showing her husband asleep with their child at 11.07am.

She said that she had not left the girl alone with him that morning while she had a shower, as the youngster claimed.

She told the court that while he had told her he had been jailed for attempted rape in the past, she had never discussed the details of it with him.

Granato, of Wrenswood, Covingham, denies two counts of indecent assault, four of sexual assault of a child under 13 and two of causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity.

The case continues.