A Brighton doctor’s web of lies led to an innocent man being locked up by police, a court was told.
Javed Saumtally, 28, had feelings for his flatmate Ben Gough and sabotaged Mr Gough’s relationships with other men through an elaborate deceit.
Jonathan Atkinson, prosecuting, shared details of the extensive deception with a jury at Hove Crown Court.
Saumtally, a general practitioner (GP), now living in Berners Street, Ipswich, has denied a charge of perverting the course of justice.
But Mr Atkinson said that the young doctor had targeted three of his flatmate’s partners, including making a false report to the police.
As a result, one of his flatmate’s former partners was interviewed by police and spent a night in custody.
Saumtally is accused of creating fake screenshots, sending threatening messages and even inventing a police officer.
Mr Atkinson said: “The purpose of these messages clearly was to try to undermine any potential relationships.”
One man started receiving various calls and messages from unknown numbers “effectively trying to put him off meeting” Mr Gough, jurors were told.
A “fake WhatsApp group” was also set up to make it look as if the man was sending abusive messages.
The various lies were part of a “concerted ploy by Mr Saumtally to deliberately undermine the relationships of his flatmate … to (make him) feel under threat and harassed as a result, all the while pretending to act as an understanding friend and companion”.
Mr Atkinson added that Saumtally had been “motivated by his own feelings” for Mr Gough and set about “sending abusive and derogatory messages from unknown numbers” to his flatmate but also to himself, “no doubt to make it look like he was also a victim and to deflect attention away from him”.
He made use of fake messaging applications and websites to furnish his deception, the court was told.
The defendant denies the charge.
The trial is being presided over by Judge Jeremy Gold. It is expected to last about a week and continues.
