Conman accused cries over abuse

Paul Bint, left, is accused of posing as Keir Starmer QC

A man who is accused of posing as Britain's top barrister has fought back tears as he told a jury that he was abused as a child.

Paul Bint, 47, allegedly impersonated lawyers, including the director of public prosecutions, to "worm" his way into the "hearts and homes" of women.

Mr Bint told Southwark Crown Court in London he spent decades posing as other people because he wanted to "impress".

The ex-estate agent denies 15 charges including fraud, burglary and theft.

He is accused of fraud by false representation as well as driving while disqualified.

In the witness box, Mr Bint admitted repeatedly adopting the personas of doctors and senior lawyers, including most recently the Director of Public Prosecutions, Keir Starmer QC.

I was quite badly abused as a child and suffered some quite serious injuries Paul Bint

Mr Bint said he took on other identities because he cared about what others thought about him.

He said the pretending made him "feel very good even though I know I am deceiving someone".

"It makes me feel very good that someone thinks I am a good person and I'm successful," he added.

But he admitted that, as someone who had repeatedly "lied about myself and my status", he had "made a rod for my own back and I accept that".

'No excuse'

Closing the case prosecuting barrister Riel Karmy-Jones told the court about a list of so-called "agreed facts" that Mr Bint has convictions for 155 offences.

Mr Bint, who is originally from Northampton, said that in order to give his actions "some perspective" it was important to go back to his childhood from the age of 12.

"I was quite badly abused as a child and suffered some quite serious injuries."

He added: "I'm not using it as an excuse. I'm really not. I know there are people who go through these experiences and don't lead the kind of life I've led.

"But it was a period in which I suffered at the hands of people who I believed loved me."

Earlier, Ms Karmy-Jones told the jury that Mr Bint's latest alleged crimes amounted to a "spree of fraud and deception".

He is accused of wining and dining unsuspecting victims and boasting of his imaginary life as a lawyer with high-powered connections.

Celebrity 'friends'

He allegedly told one woman he had booked a holiday in the Caribbean before giving her a bracelet allegedly stolen from another.

But Mr Bint denied targeting his latest alleged victims to defraud them and insisted he wanted to see if the relationships could develop into something "long term".

The barrister said Mr Bint also boasted of owning luxury cars, including one used in the James Bond film Goldeneye, and of having celebrity connections.

She said he claimed to have socialised with former 007 star Pierce Brosnan, to be friends with singer Robbie Williams, and to have been married to British comedy actress Sarah Alexander.