Man denies raping and impregnating 11-year-old girl claiming she 'may have had sex with him as he slept'

Man denies raping and impregnating 11-year-old girl claiming she 'may have had sex with him as he slept'

Justin Armstrong, 38, was arrested on Friday, two weeks after tests showed the girl was four months pregnant

Springfield District Court in Springfield, Massachusetts (Image: Google Streetview)

A man accused of raping and impregnating an 11-year-old girl claims she may have had sex with him as he slept.

Justin Armstrong, 38, appeared in court on Monday where he pleaded not guilty to forcible child rape.

He was arrested Friday, two weeks after tests showed the girl was four months pregnant.

Prosecutors say the girl told officers she was molested by Armstrong for 18 months before eventually confiding in one of her mother's friends.

Armstrong, of Springfield, Massachusetts, initially told police that the little girl had told him she had been abused by a relative, according to the Republican newspaper.

When the defendant was told that the youngster was pregnant, he suggested SHE may have raped HIM while he slept, Assistant District Attorney Jill O'Connor said.

The child underwent an abortion and the foetal tissue is being DNA tested.

Armstrong has voluntarily submitted a DNA sample and is cooperating with police, his lawyer Anna-Marie Puryear said.

Bail was set at $50,000. Armstrong is due to appear in court again on August 24.