A MAN accused of the repeated rape and sexual abuse of two sisters, one aged just three, says he is innocent of all charges.John Robert Hunter formally entered a plea of not guilty yesterday following a day-long contested committal hearing at the Bendigo Magistrates Court.The 73-year-old faces 25 charges, including multiple counts of sexual penetration of a child under the age of 16, and indecent assault.The girls have accused Hunter, who is not related to them, of repeated rapes and abuse during the 1990s.Police contend that the assaults started when the older girl was aged seven and her sister just three.Yesterday’s committal hearing centred on the older girl, now 24.The woman gave evidence via videolink to a closed court for nearly 90 minutes.Afterwards, her parents spoke, with the girls’ father telling the court Hunter would often take his children on day trips to Bendigo.“John became part of the furniture of your house?’’ defence lawyer Rod Willcox asked.“Eventually, yes, he did,’’ the girls’ father said.He told the court he often found Hunter “odd,’’ but put it down to a man living alone.“(There was) a general feeling he was a little different,’’ he added.The man said Hunter would often give his children chocolates and sweets, an act he and his wife were sometimes uncomfortable with.“It got a little out of control,’’ he said.After he warned Hunter to stop feeding the young girls following a reprimand from a dentist, the girls’ father said Hunter only became “more clever’’ in the way he gave them gifts.“He was a persistent person, John,’’ he said.“He sort of treated our kids as if they were his grandchildren.’’Both parents spoke of an incident when the older daughter, aged about eight at the time, and her friend had a barbecue at Hunter’s home.“(Our daughter) came home and told me Mr Hunter had done something,’’ the girls’ mother said.“She just said something had happened.’’The court heard that the younger daughter was about three when she came home and said she had seen Hunter naked.When confronted, the then 59-year-old said he had accidentally dropped the towel on his way to the bathroom.Six years later, the girl told her parents she had seen pornographic material at Hunter’s home.Both parents said that as the years went on, the children began saying they didn’t want Hunter around for dinner any more.Neither asked them why.Magistrate William Gibb said he was satisfied the evidence was of sufficient weight for Hunter to appear before the County Court.When asked how he was pleading, Hunter said: “Not guilty, sir.’’Hunter will reappear at court on June 2 for a directions hearing at the Melbourne County Court.As a condition of his bail he was barred from contacting witnesses or attending international points of departure.