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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Sex charge cabbie admits to lying | Sex charge cabbie admits to lying |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| A black cab driver accused of drugging and sexually assaulting female passengers has admitted in court giving women champagne and lying to them. | A black cab driver accused of drugging and sexually assaulting female passengers has admitted in court giving women champagne and lying to them. |
| John Worboys, 51, of Rotherhithe, south-east London, also admitted sexual activity with some customers but denied spiking their drinks. | John Worboys, 51, of Rotherhithe, south-east London, also admitted sexual activity with some customers but denied spiking their drinks. |
| He told Croydon Crown Court he made up stories about winning money at casinos as "banter" to engage their interest. | He told Croydon Crown Court he made up stories about winning money at casinos as "banter" to engage their interest. |
| Mr Worboys denies 23 charges, including rape and sexual assault, on 14 women. | Mr Worboys denies 23 charges, including rape and sexual assault, on 14 women. |
| He told the court he was a retired stripper who craved the attention of women after the death of his mother from cancer when he was a teenager. | He told the court he was a retired stripper who craved the attention of women after the death of his mother from cancer when he was a teenager. |
| I used to wait until I had a good £2,000 or £3,000 with me and I used to sort of make up a story John Worboys, defendant | I used to wait until I had a good £2,000 or £3,000 with me and I used to sort of make up a story John Worboys, defendant |
| Speaking in his defence, Mr Worboys admitted he gave a false name - often his stripping stage name Terry - and invented details about his background, such as attending university, where he lived, and winning money at casinos, to aid conversation. | Speaking in his defence, Mr Worboys admitted he gave a false name - often his stripping stage name Terry - and invented details about his background, such as attending university, where he lived, and winning money at casinos, to aid conversation. |
| He told the court: "I used to wait until I had a good two or three thousand pounds with me and I used to sort of make up a story that I won money in the casino or lottery. | He told the court: "I used to wait until I had a good two or three thousand pounds with me and I used to sort of make up a story that I won money in the casino or lottery. |
| "I used to show it to them and ask if they would celebrate with me and have a drink, either champagne or wine, just to celebrate my winnings." | "I used to show it to them and ask if they would celebrate with me and have a drink, either champagne or wine, just to celebrate my winnings." |
| 'Attention and cuddles' | 'Attention and cuddles' |
| He said he would make the offer of a drink on his last job of the night so as to stay under the drink drive limit and "99%" of women accepted. | He said he would make the offer of a drink on his last job of the night so as to stay under the drink drive limit and "99%" of women accepted. |
| Asked if he had engaged in sexual activity with passengers in his cab he said yes, but told the court: "To my knowledge they have never been drugged. | Asked if he had engaged in sexual activity with passengers in his cab he said yes, but told the court: "To my knowledge they have never been drugged. |
| "I just would not do that." | "I just would not do that." |
| Speaking about his "odd" behaviour, he told the jury: "I think it is due to my mum dying when I was young. | |
| "I lost her when I was 13 and all my friends were getting attention and cuddles and stuff like that." To make a woman interested, it's no good just having £100 John Worboys, defendant | |
| The prosecution claim Mr Worboys spent 18 months preying on young women he picked up outside nightspots across central London in his black cab. | |
| Mr Worboys told the court he picked up some of his alleged victims because he feared they would be targeted by illegal minicab drivers. | |
| That had been the case when he picked up a woman in Chelsea's King's Road in October 2006 and took her home, even though she had no money. | |
| During the journey, he used his "banter" to suggest he had won money at a casino that day, he said. | |
| "I showed her the money through the glass partition - I used to keep it in a plastic bag," he said. | |
| "I never used to have more than £4,000 there. To make a woman interested, it's no good just having £100 in there." | |
| The woman agreed to share a celebratory drink and he pulled over, producing a miniature bottle of Tesco Champagne which they drank while sitting on a wall, said Mr Worboys. | |
| 'Poor student' | |
| By the time he arrived at the woman's house, she had fallen asleep and he had to bang the cab door to wake her, he said. | |
| After he walked her to the door and thanked her for her company, she suddenly began swearing at him, said Mr Worboys, adding that he could not understand why. | |
| The defendant admitted that while driving another of his alleged victims he had brought up a conversation about a businesswoman who was offered money by her boss for sexual favours. | |
| But he denied this was an invitation for her. The 19-year-old then told him she was a "poor student". | |
| Mr Worboys said: "I turned round and said 'you're a pretty poor student, have you considered glamour modelling'." | |
| He later gave her £50 to "down" a half-cup of vodka before driving her home but had then gone home with a headache, he added. | |
| The case continues. | The case continues. |