Two very different versions of what happened on a night some 40 years ago emerged Thursday as Toronto pastor Brent Hawkes and his accuser both testified in a Nova Scotia courtroom.

Hawkes, a prominent rights activist, is charged with gross indecency and indecent assault for incidents that allegedly occurred in the 1970s. His trial began Monday in provincial court in Kentville, N.S.

When asked by Crown Prosecutor Bob Morrison about the night in question, Hawkes was emphatic.

"It's not true," he told the court. "It did not happen."

Taught at N.S. high school

Hawkes was a newly minted high school teacher and basketball coach who got his first job at a high school in Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley.

Hawkes testified he had to conceal the fact he was gay because it would have cost him his job. He said it also would have subjected him to a great deal of intolerance.

Hawkes taught for three years before deciding he needed a change. He quit his job to move to Toronto and join the congregation of a gay-friendly church there.

It was only after he resigned his teaching position that he confided in some people about his sexual orientation. Hawkes said after news got out, the complainant — then about 16 years old — came to visit him at the trailer he was living in.

Teen sought advice

Hawkes said the teen was looking for advice because he thought he might also be gay. Hawkes said he was unkind to the young man and responded harshly.

"What the hell are you doing?" Hawkes said he asked the teen.

Hawkes also told the court that as news of his resignation spread, people would come to his trailer to say goodbye. He said on one occasion, the complainant and two other teens showed up with what Hawkes described as a huge bottle of moonshine cider.

"It was God-awful," Hawkes said. He tried to take a drink but ended up gagging and spitting it out. He said the only thing notable about that night was the cider.

Differing story

By contrast, the complainant described a scene that night in which he said he and his two friends ended up naked in Hawkes's trailer and he said Hawkes forced himself on him.

Under cross-examination Thursday, Hawkes's lawyer Clayton Ruby picked away at the complainant's version of events and the man's memory.

The man has undergone therapy since that night and has talked about recovering fragments of memory.

But when Ruby suggested the events he described weren't real, the man was adamant.

"This was not a dream," he said, struggling to maintain his composure.

Questions about traffic accident

After another line of questioning, the man challenged Ruby.

"Oh gracious," he said. "I can only assume you've never been sexually assaulted. It's not the same as just coming up with an answer."

Ruby also questioned the man about a traffic accident he'd been involved in around the same time as the alleged incident at Hawkes's trailer. The accident resulted in a civil lawsuit, in which a judge dismissed the man's testimony as unbelievable.

Ruby suggested the stress and trauma of the accident led the man to come up with the story of the sexual assault.

"I wouldn't be here if nothing happened," the man said. "I wouldn't subject myself to this onerous process if nothing happened."

Emotional testimony

Crown Prosecutor Bob Morrison said the man's emotion should not undermine his credibility.

"He was emotional but he soldiered on and was able to recount what happened as best as he could recollect," Morrison said outside court.

"The emotion, I don't think at the end of the day that will play into the judge's decision."

Ruby plans to call one more witness when the case resumes next week.

The lawyers are scheduled to give their closing arguments on Wednesday. Judge Alan Tufts is expected to reserve his decision for a future date.

The CBC's Blair Rhodes live blogged from the trial.