A BUILDER accused of conning the father of a Hampshire MP yesterday denied taking money from elderly customers.

Shadow Defence Minister Julian Lewis, MP for New Forest East, has launched a civil action against Paul Grey at Cardiff County Court on behalf of his 94-year-old father Samuel.

He is seeking £7,500 damages from the builder, claiming the money was paid in cash by Mr Lewis between December 2002 and January 2003.

Dr Lewis tape-recorded conversations with Mr Grey, from Swansea, after suspecting he had conned thousands of pounds from his "vulnerable" father.

In the transcript of the conversation, parts of which were read at Cardiff County Court today, Mr Grey, 57, told Dr Lewis he had taken money from several people, including the MP's aunt, "just for turning up at her house".

Giving evidence in court today, Mr Grey said he had lied in the conversation, in April 2004, because he was drunk and wanted to "annoy" the MP, after being accused of conning his father out of money.

Mr Grey told the court: "He kept stressing it was me, or one of my work men, and I resented that."

He said he was "ashamed" about the conversation, but added: "Nothing I said was true.

"This was in the early hours of the morning after heavy drinking. I was very angry. I was very upset. I was just trying to get under his skin. I was trying to annoy him."

Dr Lewis told the court the late-night conversation was one of many "abusive" phone calls made by Mr Grey. The court heard that Mr Grey was later prosecuted under the Telecommunications Act in connection with the phone calls.

Mr Grey also told the court that he has criminal convictions for dishonesty that he is "not proud of", but said: "When I've done things before, I've put my hands up and admitted it."

When asked by Ralph Wynne-Griffiths, representing Mr Lewis, about a part of the conversation where he said to Dr Lewis that he never told the truth, Mr Grey replied: "Of course I've told lies. But I'm not a pathological liar.

"It didn't have much effect, trying to tell him I didn't do it. He didn't want to hear that. I spent no end of time trying to convince him I didn't do that to his father."

The court heard Mr Grey believed other people, claiming to be him or working for him, had taken the cash from Mr Lewis.

Mr Lewis, who now lives in a care home, was living on his own in a Victorian house in Uplands, Swansea, when it is alleged that Mr Grey, who had previously done building work for him, took the cash.

Mr Grey, of Brynhyfryd, Swansea, denies all the allegations.

Proceeding.