TWO employees at a Chester city centre jewellers heard an alleged fraudster talk at length how she was an events manager for Cartier.

Mia Cavalli, 42, is on trial for allegedly defrauding a pensioner, who at the time was an 81-year-old Chester resident out of more than £70,000 between September 2019 and January 2020.

Cavalli, of Cuppin Street, is accused of defrauding the man, now aged 83, out of a series of payments, including on a Rolex watch.

Cavalli and Smith, 24, are accused of deceiving the man by claiming Smith, of Abbotts Walk, Windsor, was a serving Metropolitan Police officer in the Armed Response Unit, who needed a "safe car" to drive, with the pensioner spending £13,000 on a Ford car for him.

The two defendants deny all charges.

The defence claim the money was given voluntarily, as part of a so-called 'sugar daddy' sexual relationship between the pensioner and Cavalli, who is an escort.

The court heard hundreds of messages were exchanged between the two, including exchanges which led the pensioner to purchase items from Nice 'n' Naughty in Chester, and telling her to wear "loose bra, no knickers" when meeting for a meal in the city, one of several meals out the pair arranged.

The trial, taking place at the so-called Nightingale court at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Chester, is coming to the end of its first week.

On day four of the trial on Thursday, October 7, the court heard statements from two employees of Mappin and Webb jewellers in Eastgate Street.

Prosecutor Kevin Jones read out the statement from employee Alex Brennan, who said Cavalli and the pensioner visited the store on January 3, 2020, while a younger man stayed outside the store.

Mr Brennan said Cavalli spent "25 minutes conversing" about her job as an events manager for Cartier, and involved her working in Paris and Dubai.

Mr Brennan said he had "no reason to doubt her", as the pensioner purchased a £7,850 Rolex watch.

The employee's account was backed by deputy store manager David Murray, who was minding the door but heard the pensioner say of the watch: "That's the one you saw and wanted the other day, wasn't it?"

Giovanni Baccouche, company director of the Caramel Cafe Ristorante in Chester, where Cavalli and the pensioner first met, said he formed the opinion that Cavalli, a regular customer, was "dodgy".

He said on one occasion she asked him to "lend her £10,000 for medical care", which she would pay back as she had a house was up for sale.

He said she added she had a "good job for a designer brand". He offered £400 but she declined, saying she "needed more money."

A former business partner of the pensioner gave a statement saying he made enquiries in January 2020 about whether Cavalli worked for Cartier, with each person at their various head offices saying Cavalli did not work for them.

He said when he told the pensioner about this, the pensioner was "noticeably shocked, but tried to hide it".

A friend of the pensioner gave a statement saying the pensioner asked if he could be loaned £2,000, which he thought was "unusual", "for a friend who is ill in hospital and had money issues".

The friend said he was told Cavalli "worked for Cartier", and while the friend thought it was odd to give the money, he withdrew the money and was repaid a week later by the pensioner.

The court also heard from Sophie Murray, an employee at Evans Halshaw Ford in Sealand Road, Chester, who sold a Ford Focus in December 2019 to the pensioner, with Cavalli and Smith present.

She said while "chit-chatting", Smith said he was a Metropolitan Police officer and "enjoyed his job".

Cross-examined by William Chipperfield, the car dealership employee confirmed the pensioner had first told her that Smith was a police officer.

Previously, the pensioner was cross-examined by defence barristers Paul Simon and Mr Chipperfield on allegations he and Cavalli were in a sexual relationship, which the pensioner repeatedly denied.

Under cross-examination, the pensioner denied knowing that Cavalli had confessed to him in October 2019 that she didn't work for Cartier, but was actually an escort.

The pensioner was questioned about further text messages which had been deleted from his phone.

Asked about a message from him to Cavalli which read: "Can we have some fun at the table at M&S?" [meaning Miller and Carter], to which Cavalli responded: "No...you will wait you get home," the pensioner said the 'fun' meant "just chatting".

A further conversation on January 3, 2020, after the pensioner agreed to pay Cavalli £26,000, began with Cavalli writing: "Darling I might run into you tonight and give you a [sex act] to show you how happy I am x - whilst wearing my new watch lol." The pensioner responded: "X!", Cavalli wrote: "You excited", the pensioner wrote: "I O Yes xx"

Asked why he was writing like this, the pensioner said it was while he felt under "pressure" to get the money repaid.

Asked whether his message to Cavalli of 'XxxX me' was asking to have sex with her, he replied: "Absolutely not."

He added he had "no idea" why there was a calendar entry on his phone for January 10, labelled 'Get some toys and sexy DVDs', which had been deleted from the phone. He had contacted police on January 8.

Police interviews with Cavalli and Smith, held separately, were read out to the court.

Smith denied he had told the pensioner he was a police officer, saying he had previously applied to join the Met, but his application was rejected.

He also denied telling the pensioner that as part of the job, police would test an Audi with a Lamborghini on closed sections of the M25 at night, or that he had been part of the counter-terrorism force which apprehended a murderer in the Westminster Bridge terror attack.

Cavalli gave an account to officers saying the pensioner would usually drink a bottle of wine when they were out together, and made her feel "uncomfortable" on more than one occasion.

She said they entered "a paid relationship – a sugar daddy thing", adding she had "nothing to hide" and offered her phone for police to download evidence.

After further disclosure was put to Cavalli in the police interview, Cavalli answered 'no comment' to most of the remaining answers before cutting the interview short as she said she was tired and wanted to go home.

She added: "I am getting so angry with the lies he is telling," having said she would be pressing charges against the pensioner "for making these false allegations", adding he was telling the police "a load of bull****".

The trial continues.