A practitioner of complementary medicine told Inner London Crown Court that he was not jealous of the young Irishwoman killed at his Dublin clinic two years ago.
Christopher Newman (63), also known as "Saph Dean", is on trial for the murder of Georgina Eager (28) in May 2003. He is accused of stabbing her to death but is pleading self-defence. UK legislation allows for Mr Newman, who is a British citizen born in India, to be tried in a British court.
The trial is in its fourth week and yesterday Mr Newman was re-examined about his evidence by his own counsel, Andrew Smiler. The witness's answers were lengthy and roundabout and Mr Smiler repeatedly appealed to him for a straight Yes or No, asking his client to "trust me" and reminding him that he was on trial for murder.
After Ms Eager's death, Mr Newman left for London and took a taxi to Westminster Bridge where, he claimed, he was planning to kill himself. He repeated this claim yesterday. "I was in despair," he said. "I was in a trance." Denying the crown's allegation that he was "possessive" and had become enraged over a videotape in which Ms Eager was massaging a naked client, Mr Newman said: "Jealousy is a negative thing. I can't be jealous." He claimed several times that Ms Eager was "unstable".
Mr Smiler produced a letter Mr Newman had written to the Department of Foreign Affairs over another employee, a Bulgarian national, who had allegedly been giving sexual favours to clients, which was not authorised at the clinic.
The letter gave notice that the woman had been dismissed and requested that her Irish visa be cancelled. He also reported the matter to Crumlin Garda station, to the Bulgarian embassy and sent a videotape of her actions to her parents in Bulgaria.
Mr Smiler told the court that the crown had launched an "unjustified" and "sustained" attack on Mr Newman, wrongly alleging that he was "a sham". He drew attention to the fact that his client had professional negligence insurance, was accredited by the Guild of Complementary Practitioners and had a diploma in anatomy and physiology.
Responding to the claim that he was a sham, Mr Newman said a sham meant somebody perpetuating a fallacy and seeking to mislead. "I'm a professor of factology, I cannot mislead."
He said he had habitually videotaped himself and Ms Eager having intimate relations. "The first time she didn't know," he said. "After that, yes."
Mr Smiler produced a Christmas card from Ms Eager to Mr Newman in which she wrote: "You are not someone special in words, but deeds." Mr Smiler asked him if Ms Eager understood his "factological beliefs". When Mr Newman responded that "facts are not beliefs", his counsel again appealed to him: "You have got to address the issues, because you are on trial for murder." He claimed Ms Eager was sleeping with him as a means of gaining control of the clinic. He wanted to go to India.
Michael Birnbaum QC, prosecuting, asked Mr Newman about when he saw Ms Eager on closed-circuit television massaging a naked client. If he was so "shocked", why did he not go next door immediately and say, "Please cover the patient?"
Mr Newman replied: "I am a professor, I don't just go in." Prosecuting counsel said Mr Newman was "spying on her and jealous". Mr Newman: "That's negativity. I am a factologist."
Mr Birnbaum said the witness had brought a knife in from the kitchen of Ms Eager's flat to the bedroom to kill her. "I did not kill her," Mr Newman said. "I was frightened, I would never kill anybody." He added: "This is so evil to imagine."
The trial continues today.