Ryder decides against taking the stand at shoplifting trial

The trial of Winona Ryder for shoplifting lost a little of its suspense yesterday when the news that the star of Girl, Interrupted and Little Women would not be taking the stand.

After the prosecution rested its case late on Thursday, the Los Angeles courthouse of Judge Elden Fox had been agog to see whether the defence would bring their client to the stand and whether Ms Ryder would summon up a performance sufficient to prove her innocence.

The actress is charged with stealing goods worth $5,500 (£3,516) from the Saks Fifth Avenue department store in Beverly Hills last December, including a Dolce and Gabbana handbag and Calvin Klein socks. If she is convicted, she could be sentenced to three years behind bars.

The final witness for the prosecution, Detective Mark Parker, described Ms Ryder as "very calm" on the night of her arrest after she was detained by guards as she left the store. "She had a smile on her face," he testified, adding that "she was nervous about what was going to happen."

Mr Parker also suggested Ms Ryder had said she had stolen the goods in preparation for a film role. "At one point she was explaining that she was getting in character for a role as a kleptomaniac," he said. "She wanted to see what it was like to shoplift."

In cross-examination, the defence lawyer Mark Geragos accused another prosecution witness of fabricating her testimony and attempting to sell the story. But the witness, Colleen Rainey, a former security officer with Saks, denied his claims. She said she saw Ms Ryder snipping security tags from items she was stealing. "Have you sold The Winona Ryder Story?" Mr Geragos asked Ms Rainey, after telling the court that her boyfriend was a struggling screenwriter. "No," she said.

Mr Geragos said Ms Rainey had not mentioned key details of her testimony in an original incident report to police, including the claim that she had seen the removal of the security tags through slats in a fitting room door.