A MAN accused of blackmailing a business owner out of £81,000 called the claims "nonsense" and said he had not received any money.

Michael Camara, 41, denies being involved in a plot to get Norman Goodey, owner of N Goodey Engineering Ltd, to hand over the cash after he was allegedly threatened by the defendant and another man.

In May 2012, Camara and a man named 'Richard', visited Mr Goodey's yard in Oxford Road, Garsington, with the view to buy plant machinery, which Mr Goodey specialised in.

But things turned sour when the three men went into Mr Goodey's horse box on their third visit and the defendant and Richard allegedly pulled out a bag full of black paper.

Oxford Crown Court was told last week the pair had poured liquid on to the paper, turning it into one £50 and two £20 notes and pointed a gun at Mr Goodey when he refused to take part in the "black money" scam.

Mr Goodey said 'Richard' had claimed he was Colonel Gaddafi's personal bodyguard and threatened his family if he did not cough up the money to buy cleaning products for the black money.

After the incident, Mr Goodey is said to have stumped up £35,000 and £46,000, borrowing money from friends.

But yesterday (March 21), during his cross-examination, Camara denied he had been in London when Mr Goodey said he handed over £46,000 in a holdall.

He said: "I was never at Oxford Circus, I would never have seen him that day.

"I was at home on May 17, and a friend had called us crying because she had found out she had lost her mother.

"We went to her house and we came back on May 19.

"I never received £46,000 from Mr Goodey."

Camara, of Glyndon Road, London, denies three counts of blackmail, possessing an imitation firearm and three counts of possessing an article for use in fraud.

The trial continues.