A man accused of attempting sexual acts with sheep and cows said he is “absolutely astonished and baffled” by the claims.

Paul Lovell, 60, of Magpie Close in Enfield, was arrested on September 4, 2013, and is on trial for outraging public decency by behaving in an indecent manner.

At Wood Green Crown Court today, the former computer engineer vehemently denied claims that he attempted to commit a sexual act with cows and sheep at Archers Wood, in Whitewebbs Lane.

When being asked about the incident by his barrister Clare Dowes, he said: “I am absolutely astonished and baffled. I did not see any cows. It is a completely ridiculous claim.

“I went for a walk at about 2.30pm, it was a hot and sunny day, I went into the field and decided to have a lie down and I took my top off.”

Mr Lovell also said his shorts and underpants remained on throughout the time he was in the field.

He was reported to the police by picnicking couple Lawrence Stephan and Natasha Brennan, who gave evidence on Tuesday, January 28.

They stated that he was wearing nothing but socks and shoes when entering the field.

The couple also claimed that the man tried to lure sheep and cows towards his genitals.

Photos taken by Mr Stephan of the man lying on the ground with sheep close by were presented to Mr Lovell, to which he responded: “You can see I was stretching my legs from lying in the same position for what felt like an hour.

“When asleep I don’t want animals coming near me. So I stamped my feet and clapped my hands when I awoke to get them away from me.”

The accused then faced questioning from prosecution Richard Hutchinson who queried why Mr Lovell had did not deny the claim from the outset.

In response, Mr Lovell said: “I was completely speechless; I did not know what to say. I thought they were asking me to help them find a man who had done these acts. When I was accused I was astonished.”

When accused by the prosecution lawyers, Mr Lovell continued to response by saying the allegation is “ridiculous”.

He will continue to face cross examination by Mr Hutchinson.