A Toronto police sergeant accused of sexually assaulting two women in his police cruiser after offering them a ride home late at night testified Friday that he has given rides “many times” to intoxicated men and women.

Two women in their twenties, who have publications bans on their identities, have each described a separate incident in the fall of 2015 where they say Christopher Heard reached over and touched them on the inner thigh while they were in the police cruiser.

Heard, 46 and a married father of three teens, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of sexual assault. He testified that he drove the women home from the Entertainment District because they were intoxicated and denied inappropriately touching either woman.

During cross-examination Friday, Crown prosecutor Roger Shallow suggested the accounts given by the two women were strikingly similar.

The second complainant came forward after reading a news story about the first charge laid against Heard, but, Shallow said, the news stories published at the time did not describe the nature of the alleged sexual assault. Heard agreed that that was true for the news stories he saw.

“On both occasions the nature, the specific nature of the sexual assault alleged are almost identical,” Shallow said. Heard agreed.

“To borrow a phrase from your learned lawyer,” Shallow continued, “I’m going to suggest, sir, that it could be described as a real interstellar type of cosmic coincidence of the most extreme.”

“I would describe it as being completely untrue,” Heard said.

Shallow also questioned Heard about the many ways he failed to follow police procedure and training. Heard was on duty and in uniform at the time of both alleged sexual assaults.

During both interactions Heard admitted that he did not turn on the in-car camera system that would have recorded the conversations he had with the complainants. He agreed he also failed to inform dispatch that he was leaving his jurisdiction in the Entertainment District and that he was transporting a member of the public. He also did not inform dispatch when he stepped away from his cruiser while dropping off the second complainant.

Shallow asked whether Heard would, as a supervisor, expect that officers in his charge abide by appropriate protocols so everything that happened during the ride would be transparent.

“I do,” Heard said.

“Would you agree with me that the absence of a recording creates an opportunity to engage in wrongful conduct undetected?” Shallow asked.

“I do,” Heard said.

Shallow suggested by failing to take these steps, Heard also put himself at physical risk. Heard said this was true.

Shallow asked why Heard looked up the first complainant in a police database on the way to her home through the computer in his car. Heard maintained he did it at the “very reasonable request” of the complainant so she could make sure she was not violating the terms of a peace bond. He said that after the search the complainant suddenly became angry and that he “couldn’t get her home fast enough.”

“You have an intoxicated person (in the front passenger seat) who is enraged and who on your evidence hates police,” Shallow said. He suggested Heard’s safety concerns would have been “acute” and that he could have activated his in-car camera system at that point.

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“I would have to agree with you,” Heard responded.

Heard also admitted he gave his personal cellphone number rather than the number of his police-issued cellphone to the second complainant and texted her twice after dropping her off. He maintained he was just making sure she got into her unit safely since she lived in a dangerous area.

Shallow suggested the reason he did not give his cellphone number to the first complainant was because of the “absolute and definite manner” in which she admonished him for his conduct.

Heard disagreed, and said it was because she lived in an area he considered safer.

The first sexual assault allegedly took place on Sept. 24, 2015 after Heard offered a 27-year-old woman a ride home at around 1 a.m. from Wellington St. W. and Blue Jays Way. The woman said she was not drunk and was preparing to bike home after dinner with friends when Heard approached her.

The second sexual assault allegedly took place just over a month later on Nov. 1, 2015. The woman, who was 25 at the time, testified Heard offered her a ride after she left a club in the Entertainment District. Heard agreed that it was extremely busy night due to Halloween.

Both women said they expected they could trust Heard because he is a police officer.

Heard is suspended with pay from the Toronto Police Service and faces disciplinary charges under the Police Services Act.

The trial resumes with closing submissions on June 26.