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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Co-star 'did not know about porn' | Co-star 'did not know about porn' |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Comedian Paul Whitehouse has told a court he had no knowledge of co-star Chris Langham using child pornography as research for a drama series. | Comedian Paul Whitehouse has told a court he had no knowledge of co-star Chris Langham using child pornography as research for a drama series. |
| The Fast Show star co-wrote and starred in the BBC drama Help, in which he played different patients seen by a psychiatrist played by Mr Langham. | The Fast Show star co-wrote and starred in the BBC drama Help, in which he played different patients seen by a psychiatrist played by Mr Langham. |
| Mr Langham, 58, from Kent, denies indecent assault and a serious sexual offence on a girl under 18. | Mr Langham, 58, from Kent, denies indecent assault and a serious sexual offence on a girl under 18. |
| He also denies 15 counts of making an indecent image of a child in 2005. | He also denies 15 counts of making an indecent image of a child in 2005. |
| Mr Langham's defence counsel has claimed he downloaded child pornography images for research while writing Help. | Mr Langham's defence counsel has claimed he downloaded child pornography images for research while writing Help. |
| 'Discussion of sex' | 'Discussion of sex' |
| Prosecutor Richard Barraclough QC asked Mr Whitehouse at Maidstone Crown Court: "Did Mr Langham ever discuss with you that he was undertaking any research for the shows?" | Prosecutor Richard Barraclough QC asked Mr Whitehouse at Maidstone Crown Court: "Did Mr Langham ever discuss with you that he was undertaking any research for the shows?" |
| "Not to my knowledge, no," Mr Whitehouse replied. | "Not to my knowledge, no," Mr Whitehouse replied. |
| Mr Barraclough asked if there had been any discussion in the series of explicit sex with little girls. | Mr Barraclough asked if there had been any discussion in the series of explicit sex with little girls. |
| "Absolutely not," Mr Whitehouse replied. | "Absolutely not," Mr Whitehouse replied. |
| "Can you help the jury, did Mr Langham tell you that he had been researching things like that?" | "Can you help the jury, did Mr Langham tell you that he had been researching things like that?" |
| "No," Mr Whitehouse replied. | "No," Mr Whitehouse replied. |
| He said he came up with the idea of a character called Pedro, for the second series of Help, as "some kind of sex offender, like a peeping Tom or a flasher or possibly even something worse". | He said he came up with the idea of a character called Pedro, for the second series of Help, as "some kind of sex offender, like a peeping Tom or a flasher or possibly even something worse". |
| Mr Barraclough said: "So the suggestion for the character came from you?" | Mr Barraclough said: "So the suggestion for the character came from you?" |
| "Yes," Mr Whitehouse replied. | "Yes," Mr Whitehouse replied. |
| Chris Langham denies the charges against him | |
| "Was there anything Mr Langham wanted the character to do?" Mr Barraclough asked. | "Was there anything Mr Langham wanted the character to do?" Mr Barraclough asked. |
| "I can remember a couple of incidents where it was implied he had rubbed up against someone on a train," Mr Whitehouse replied. | "I can remember a couple of incidents where it was implied he had rubbed up against someone on a train," Mr Whitehouse replied. |
| Mr Barraclough asked him: "Did you discuss any additional sketches where this character revealed himself to have been abused as a child or confessing to sexually assaulting a child that he's been grooming?" | Mr Barraclough asked him: "Did you discuss any additional sketches where this character revealed himself to have been abused as a child or confessing to sexually assaulting a child that he's been grooming?" |
| "No," Mr Whitehouse replied. | "No," Mr Whitehouse replied. |
| The actor, dressed in a blue suit, black tie and white shirt, spent 30 minutes giving evidence. | The actor, dressed in a blue suit, black tie and white shirt, spent 30 minutes giving evidence. |
| Asked by defence counsel David Whitehouse whether he was "furious at being dragged into this sordid affair", he replied: "I wasn't very happy". | |
| BBC television producer Jane Berthoud, who was involved in the production of Help, described a conversation she had with Mr Langham around the time of his arrest. | |
| "It was just a brief conversation and he seemed absolutely distraught," she said. | |
| "He just said, 'I'm really sorry. I feel as if I have let you down'." | |
| Asked by Mr Barraclough whether he made any mention of the images being related to research, she replied: "There was no mention of research at all." | |
| The trial continues. | The trial continues. |