A former X Factor contestant accused of laundering £20,000 from an alleged scam on the elderly has told a court he thought the money that appeared in his bank account was to put on shows in Dubai.
Nathan Fagan-Gayle, 29, allegedly received funds from 73-year-old Elizabeth Curtis, from Cornwall, in May 2014, after she had allegedly been conned over the phone by a fake police officer .
But giving evidence in his defence, the singer known as Starboy Nathan, denied involvement and said he handed over money to a footballer he owed and his girlfriend as a "romantic" gesture".
He told jurors all he knew was that the money was the result of emails from a man he met in Dstrkt nightclub in London.
The defendant told jurors that Max had offered him a series of club appearances in Dubai after the singer Ne-Yo had cancelled.
He told the court he had been to the country before when he was shooting X Factorshows.
Asked by his lawyer Paul Stanislas what he thought when the money appeared in his account, he said: "I was happy."
On why he asked his girlfriend for her bank details, he said: "Because I was excited and a month or two before that I was moving around the place a little bit, staying at mum's, my sister's and my girl's.
"I wanted to show off a bit. Show her I am doing it for myself. Send her some money. At the time I was like what's mine is yours, innit. I was just trying to be romantic."
Fagan-Gayle said he wanted to send his mother some of the money as she had always given him cash when he needed it.
He also wanted to repay his friend thousands of pounds on a Mercedes Benz lease, he said.
The singer, songwriter and producer said he planned to use the rest on a trip to America to make music, having handed it to a friend to hold on to for him.
The trial is ongoing.
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