The grandfather of footballer Jesse Lingard has told a court he was not an “ogre” as he denied allegations of historical sexual assault.
Kenneth Lingard gave evidence in his trial at Liverpool Crown Court on Wednesday.
The 86-year-old is accused of 17 counts of indecent assault against a woman, who alleges he abused her from the age of five.
Asked about some of the specific allegations, Lingard said: “Never happened.”
He said: “It wasn’t like she’s making it out to be, that I was this ogre.”
When the trial opened last week, the court heard the woman came forward to make allegations to police in 2022 after seeing a documentary in which Jesse Lingard spoke about his grandfather’s influence on his career.
Lingard told the court his grandson, a former Manchester United and England player, lived with him and his wife Pamela in their home in Warrington from the age of four.
The former gymnastics coach and powerlifter showed an interest in Jesse’s footballing ability and trained him, the jury was told.
The defendant said: “I noticed, with my coaching, he was developing pretty quick considering he was only a child, really only a baby.
“A friend had a son who was at Liverpool and he said he’d put a word in for Jesse.”
Lingard said he took his grandson to a satellite training centre for Liverpool Football Club in Warrington.
He said: “The first night the coach came to me and said ‘where have you been keeping him?’
“That was the start of his career.”
He said Jesse lived with them until the age of 14 when he signed for Manchester United and went to live closer to the training ground, but returned at weekends.
The court heard Lingard had been a carer for his wife for two years before her death, after she was diagnosed with cancer in 2022.
He said they had carers coming into the house for a few weeks at the start of her illness, but said: “When I noticed how much my grandson was paying for them I sacked them really and I took over the carer duties.”
Lingard told the court he had heard “rumours” that the complainant was talking to people about him “abusing her”.
He said: “I was never confronted about it by anybody.”
He denied being confronted by the complainant, but said her ex-husband had been to see him once.
Lingard said: “He came this particular day, knocked on the door.
“He said ‘Is there anything that’s true about what (the complainant) is saying you’ve done to her?’
“I said ‘No, should I get a solicitor?’ He said ‘That’ll do for me, Ken’.”
The jury was told Lingard, of Northway, Warrington, had previously had prostate cancer, a heart attack and a back operation that went wrong.
He also had problems with his eyesight and hearing, the court heard.
The trial was adjourned until Tuesday.
