Ritz 'sale' trial told deal was pumped up

Anthony Lee, 49, from Goole, said he was simply the fall guy for a commercial deal gone wrong.

He accused property dealer Terence Collins and agent Karen Maguire of trying to con Dutch financier Marcel Boerkhoorn out of the 1m so they could pay Lee a debt from a separate deal.

Lee and Patrick Dolan, 68, are accused of targeting Mr Collins through Ms Maguire because of his interest in the high-stakes world of trophy properties. Solicitor Conn Farrell, 57, added credibility to the deal, Southwark Crown Court in London was told.

The trio sucked them in with false promises that the prestigious hotel in London's Piccadilly was on sale for 250m, the jury was told.

But on Wednesday, Lee said he never claimed to have any contract for The Ritz, never did any work with the hotel's owners, the secretive billionaire brothers Sir Frederick and Sir David Barclay, and there was never any mention of a fixed price.

He went on: "Ms Maguire has just been pumping it up to do this deal because obviously she's seen the pound notes."

Lee, who described himself as a "straight-talking Yorkshireman" admitted he was an undischarged bankrupt at the time , had a police caution for theft, and was behind with his rent.

He told the jury that Mr Collins just wanted to get Mr Boerkhoorn's money. Lee claimed Mr Collins and Ms Maguire owed him a total of 2m for a separate deal that had fallen through.

Lee, of Broad Lane, Beal; Dolan, of Philip Lane, Tottenham, north London, and Farrell, of Cambridge Road, Aldershot, Hampshire, all deny conspiracy to defraud between January 1 2006 and March 30 2007.

The trial continues.