Prostitute denies helping blackmail 'pervert and pest'

Published on Thursday 28 May 2009 09:42

A VICE girl told today how she was accused of helping her boyfriend blackmail a punter who was besotted with her.

Catherine Purcell, 31, said that although she "took advantage" of the 55-year-old bank worker who showered her with gifts and thousands of pounds she had nothing to do with the alleged extortion.

A trial has heard how the bank worker handed over 10,000 to two brothers who menaced him with a knife and threatened to tell his wife about his three-year liaison with a "masseuse" in an Edinburgh sauna

Single mum Ms Purcell – who called herself Cindy while working at Carol's sauna in Easter Road – said she was arrested five days after the cash is said to have been handed over outside a Royal Bank of Scotland in Castle Street, Edinburgh, last October 17.

She was sitting in bed watching a day-time TV chat show with plumber Stephen Dobson when police arrived at her Musselburgh home.

Stephen Dobson, 39, and his brother John Dobson, 36, deny making threats to the bank worker, abducting him and extorting 10,000 from him.

In court today Ms Purcell admitted she had told the police "blatant lies" and, at first, even denied knowing the alleged victim of the blackmailers.

She claimed she was scared her family would find out about her sauna work.

Although charged with abduction and extortion by police, the charges were later dropped.

But the Dobson brothers have blamed her for making phone calls to the bank worker demanding cash. They say she got 1100 and they were collecting it for her.

Solicitor advocate Jim Keegan, defending Stephen Dobson, described him as "her gopher".

The lawyer said: "You are a wily lady, are you not? A lady who is able to use her charms to make people do things they ordinarily would not want to do?"

Ms Purcell told him: "I wish I could."

"You use your guile and ability to ensnare men into doing things they do not want to do?" continued Mr Keegan.

"No," she said. "It is their choice. I cannot make anybody do anything."

The bank worker was sitting in court to hear Ms Purcell describe him as a pervert and a pest who bombarded her with text messages but a nice man.

"I think any man who has to come to a sauna and pay for sex is a bit perverted," said Ms Purcell.

She told how the bank worker began to meet her outside the sauna, driving her home after work, did odd jobs such as cutting the grass, and gave her money she needed to buy heroin.

He gave her gifts. "A bike, a necklace, jewellery, flowers, rabbit hutches, anything. He paid my bills," she said.

She agreed he was generous and spent a lot of money on her – a total of 2000 she said.

"He had mug written all over his face," said Mr Keegan.

"I was very appreciative of the things he did," said Ms Purcell.

She agreed that earlier in the week of the alleged blackmail the bank worker had given her at least 200 and that she had asked him for a 1000 loan.

"He said 'I will do my best'," she said. But she never saw him again.

She said she could not remember that week very well because she was "self-medicating" with heroin because of her Crohn's Disease.

Detective Constable Laura White told how 350 in Royal Bank 50 notes was found in Stephen Dobson's wash-bag in Ms Purcell's bedroom.

She also told how she charged Ms Purcell with abduction and extortion after an interview in Dalkeith Police Station.

"I like (the bank worker). I wouldn't like to think anything like that happened to him," came the reply.

The trial continues.