A man accused of raping a teenage girl ‘lied and lied’ to the police, a jury has been told.

Denis Kadena is accused of raping the youth in the back of his van in the Totton area.

Prosecution barrister Simon Jones told a jury at Southampton Crown Court today that the defendant ‘lied and lied and lied’ to the police during his interviews.

Jurors previously heard that the 33-year-old defendant had searched the internet for ‘Southampton kids crime’ to see if his alleged offences had been reported.

During a closing speech, Mr Jones said: “It’s ridiculous for Mr Kadena to suggest to you that he wanted to look up a drug dealing teenager article, and it insults your intelligence.

“He was not anxious for his wife or his child, he was anxious for himself.

“There’s one liar here and that is the defendant.”

He added: “Your decision can be simple; it can be as simple as you believing the victim and that the defendant has lied and lied.

“I invite you to find this lying man guilty of these three charges.”

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But defence barrister Sham Uddin, closing his case for Kadena, said: “The victim wanted to play truant that day.

“Mr Kadena is a man who saw a young girl waving at him."

He added: “He never said ‘do you want to have sex?’ the moment she got into the van.

“If this man’s intention was to grab this girl from the streets and have sex, why did he drive slowly?

“Is that the act of a kidnapper?

“The issue is not the age, it’s consent. You look at people’s body language, the way they touch you – you just know when somebody is consenting.

“You don’t ask for a statute of declaration.

“She didn’t stop him, and that’s quite important.”

Concerning Mr Kadena's police interviews, Mr Uddin said: “He accepts that he lied, but a lie can never prove guilt.

“It does not get any more serious for Mr Kadena, a man of good character and a family man.

“His fate is in your hands.”

Kadena, of Yorke Street in Southsea, denies two charges of rape and sexual assault.

The trial continues.