JURORS trying a former children's home boss accused of historic sex offences have been told to beware of false allegations and defective memories.

Colin Davis, 75, is accused of committing 40 offences against boys at the old Salerno Road children's home in Lordswood, Southampton, in the 1970s and 1980s.

Davis, 75, of Lingfield Gardens in Townhill Park, Southampton, denies all the allegations against him.

Jon Swain, defending, told Southampton Crown Court that there were no eye-witnesses to the alleged offences and no scientific evidence against his client.

He added: "What you're left with – and what you have to focus on – is what each person says happened to them all those years ago.

"It's an exercise in quality control. The only thing you're being asked to convict this man on is people's memories."

Mr Swain told the jurors not to be influenced by the large number of complainants who had testified against Davis since the trial began last month.

Urging them to examine the background of each prosecution witness, he said: "It's no coincidence that the most serious allegations against Colin Davis have been made by those who were most disturbed and troubled boys before they'd ever met him."

Mr Swain called one of the witnesses "manipulative and devious" and said one of the others had mistakenly described Davis as a non-smoker.

He added: "People do make false allegations and it's never easy for a defendant on the wrong end of them to explain why that might be."

On several occasions Mr Swain suggested that someone else was responsible for the offences said to have been committed by his client.

Citing the evidence given by one of the alleged victims he told the court: "He may well have been abused - but not by Colin Davis."

The London-based barrister was making his closing speech for the defence.

Davis faces 40 counts of indecent assault and other sexual offences against nine boys under the age of 18. All the charges relate to offences alleged to have been committed while he was officer-in-charge at the Salerno Road home, which closed in 2013.

He originally faced 49 charges but the jury was directed to return a not guilty verdict on one count and a further eight were withdrawn.

Judge Peter Ralls is due to sum up on Monday, with the jury retiring on Tuesday to consider its verdicts.