Saturday 8 March 2014

Dave Lee Travis trial: former personal assistant says sex predator claims 'completely untrue'

Gemma Nurden described Travis, known as DLT, as a ''lovely person'' Photo: Getty Images By News agencies

11:56AM GMT 31 Jan 2014

Claims that veteran DJ Dave Lee Travis was seen as a sexual predator while working at a commercial radio station are ''completely untrue'', a former personal assistant has told his trial.

Gemma Nurden described Travis, known as DLT, as a ''lovely person''.

''When Dave met people, he'd give them a big sort of bear hug,'' she told jurors.

''He just sort of would always put his arms around people but not in a seedy way or anything - just in a friendly way.''

Travis, now 68, is on trial accused of indecently assaulting 10 women and sexually assaulting another in incidents dating back to 1976 and the height of his fame.

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He denies all the charges.

Giving evidence, Ms Nurden, who said she worked for Travis from September 1992 to 2002, was asked about the period when he worked at Chiltern Radio, where he is alleged to have inappropriately touched three female colleagues.

Asked by Stephen Vullo, for the defence, if the defendant was known by his colleagues as a ''determined sexual predator'' as the trial has previously heard, Ms Nurden said: ''That's completely untrue.

''I never saw anything to make me think that at all.''

Asked to describe what Travis was like in her view, the witness told jurors at London's Southwark Crown Court: ''He's great fun.

''He was a very sort of larger-than-life character. He would chat to anybody.

''He wasn't sort of like a big superstar that wouldn't talk to a doorman or anything like that, and just a lovely person.''

Asked if she saw or heard anything to suggest Travis ever acted inappropriately with female staff at the radio station, Ms Nurden, who said she accompanied him to his show every day, told jurors: ''No.''

The witness said she began working for the former BBC Radio 1 presenter for a few days a week after his wife Marianne had an operation, carrying out household tasks for the couple and feeding their chickens and pigs.

She became his PA a year later when he left the BBC and began working in commercial radio.

Ms Nurden told jurors she was not aware of any of the women at Chiltern Radio ever accusing him of assaulting them and there was never an ''atmosphere'' at the station because of him.

When asked whether she noticed the smell of the defendant's ''pungent aftershave'' as he walked in the room - as other witnesses have said - Travis gave a loud sigh in the dock as Ms Nurden said: ''Yes.''

Travis - on trial under his birth name David Griffin - denies 13 indecent assaults between 1976 and 2003 and one sexual assault in 2008.

The charges relate to allegations from when he was working as a BBC DJ, as a broadcaster with Classic Gold radio, while appearing on Top Of The Pops and when starring in panto.

 BBCNews »UK News »Crime »Law and Order »

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