A teacher accused of molesting pupils at a Medway school 25 years ago wept as he told a jury: “I love teaching”.

Bruce Roth, who taught maths at King’s School, Rochester, in the late 1980s, denied 17 sex abuse charges against him and added: “I really miss the classroom.”

It is alleged Roth, 46, abused two boys at the private school from 1987 before abusing three more when he moved to a new position at Wellington College, Berkshire.

One of the King’s pupils claimed Roth, an assistant housemaster, rubbed ointment into his private parts.

The other claimed he sneaked into his dormitory and played with his genitals.

A jury at Reading Crown Court was due to hear closing speeches by Roth’s defence team yesterday before retiring to consider its verdict today.

Roth earlier told the court that money was a possible motive for the allegations, as one family planned to sue him and Wellington College for “large amounts of money” following the case.

The teacher denied being gay, telling the jury he was “not even bi-sexual.”

He told the jury: “I had girlfriends over time but it always seemed to fall apart because I am too selfish.”

A former pupil, airline pilot Max Williams, told the trial Roth was “approachable”.

“We had good banter and he treated me more like an equal than a student.”

Roth denies four charges of indecent assault on a male under 16, four of sexual activity with a child, three of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and six of sexual activity with a child by a person in a position of trust.

The trial continues.