A 56-year-old primary school teacher in Tongbai county, Henan province, who was given excellent employment assessments for his personal morality, has been charged with carrying out sexual attacks on 20 young girls, Xinhua News Agency reported on Wednesday.

Yang Shifu, 56, worked in a rural primary school, where prosecutors allege he molested 18 girls aged 6 to 11 in his classroom, as well as raping two more at his home.

Yang went on trial at the Nanyang Intermediate People's Court on Tuesday, and said in his defense that the number of girls he molested had been exaggerated. His defense also pointed to a lack of evidence proving his guilt.

The parents of 16 girls allegedly assaulted were present in court and took part in the proceedings, expressing their anger at Yang's defense.

The accused said that he had been awarded excellent evaluations for his morality by the county education bureau in 2010. Lawyers representing the victims said that the local education authority was guilty of malfeasance in its supervision of Yang.

Parents alerted police to Yang's alleged crimes on May 23, and he was arrested on May 28 after an initial investigation.