The grandfather of footballer Jesse Lingard told police a woman had accused him of sexual assaults to “get attention”, a court heard.
Earlier the jury at Liverpool Crown Court heard a summary of the police interview with 86-year-old Kenneth Lingard.
On Monday the court was told the woman contacted officers to make allegations of historic offences by Mr Lingard after watching a documentary about his grandson, the ex-England and Manchester United player, in November 2022.
Mr Lingard, from Northway, Warrington, denies 17 counts of indecent assault
When officers asked Lingard, a gymnastics coach, if there was any reason why the woman had made the allegations, he said: “To get attention.”
He added: “She’s mental.”
On Monday, the court heard that the complainant called and messaged Jesse Lingard after watching the documentary, in which he talked about his grandfather’s influence on his career.
In one message to the footballer, who now plays for FC Seoul in South Korea, she said: “Shame on you, Jesse Lingard. Loads of lies. Your grandad, Kenneth Lingard, molested and sexually abused me and you know he did.”
In his interview with police, Mr Lingard said: “Even my grandson, when she was ranting to him on the phone, he couldn’t believe what she was saying.”
He said he now felt “numb, really”, adding: “I can’t believe why she has concocted all this stuff.”
The woman alleges the historic assaults began when she was about five years old.
