This is what murder-accused Ze Selassie, 33, told the Supreme Court jury yesterday about his relationship with 14-year-old victim Rhiana Moore:

Defence lawyer John Perry QC: Did you kill Rhiana Moore?

Ze Selassie: No sir.

Mr. Perry: You knew her before her death, that's right?

Selassie: That's true sir.

Mr. Perry: How long had you known her before her death?

Selassie: A year or more. Possibly two years.

Mr. Perry: You accept that you had a sexual relationship with her?

Selassie: Yes I do.

Mr. Perry: You were aware of her age, were you not?

Selassie: Yes I was.

Mr. Perry: Do you accept that you having a sexual relationship with her was disgraceful behaviour, being sexually involved with a girl under age?

Selassie: Yes sir.

Mr. Perry: Do you accept that you are the father of Rhiana's unborn child?

Selassie: Yes sir.

Mr. Perry: What were your feelings about Rhiana?

Selassie: Well, I was sexually attracted to her.

Mr. Perry: Did you love her?

Selassie: I began to care for her to the point that I thought it was love. But looking back, I could see that it was just an infatuation it was just raw sexual desire.

Mr. Perry: Did you want to get rid of the baby?

Selassie: Initially, yes.

Mr. Perry: Why?

Selassie: Three reasons; I didn't want to go to prison over the situation, I was not in a position to really take care of the child and it was unfair for Rhiana to have to raise a child at her age.

Mr. Perry: Did there come a time when that desire to get rid of the child changed?

Selassie: Well yes, like around March when I bought a pregnancy test for her and she told me that she was (pregnant) and we spoke and she told me that she'd misled me regarding having periods before then. I realised she'd gone past the first trimester and it was not possible to get rid of the baby any more.

Mr. Perry: Did you kill her to get rid of the baby?

Selassie: No sir.