FORMER Devizes mayor Timothy Price described the apologetic email he sent to his alleged victim as complete fiction in court yesterday.

Price told the jury on the third day of his trial at Salisbury Crown Court that he had written what he thought his victim wanted to hear and because he had threatened to go to the police.

Price, 57, of Waiblingen Way, Devizes, has been charged with historic sex crimes in relation to a young boy from Durrington. He denies abusing the youngster multiple times between 1974 and 1979.

Stephen Dent, defending, asked Price to go through his thoughts and actions when he received an email from the alleged victim accusing him of the abuse.

Price said: “To begin with I had no idea what I was going to do.

“He threatened to go to the police. If I gave him what he wanted perhaps we could finish this and say it was all a terrible mistake.”

The court heard that Price thought his email to the alleged victim was not evidence that would appear in court.

Speaking about the apologetic email, he said: “I bitterly regret doing it because it has become evidence in court which was what I was trying to avoid.”

Prosecuting, Andrew Houston questioned Price on why in an interview with police, he repeatedly answered questions with no comment.

The court heard that Price was acting on advice he had obtained on the internet.

He said: “I now realise that relying on internet websites is not the best way to get legal advice.”

Price said that stating 'no comment' was neither denying or not denying but not answering the questions put to him and that there was no behaviour from him that warranted the accusations.

Later, Neil Tomlin, from Devizes, was called as a character witness by the defence.

He described Price to the jury as honest and trustworthy and that he had only known Price in a way that was very positive.

Prosecution and defence are due to make closing statements this afternoon.

Price has been charged with four counts of indecent assault and one of gross indecency with a child, under laws in place in the 1970s.

They are sample counts as the alleged victim says the abuse happened regularly over four years.

The trial continues.