Doug Richard: Former Dragons Den star accused of paying 13-year-old girl to be his 'sex slave'

Court hears 57-year-old who used to be an adviser to David Cameron spanked teenager in front of her friend before sex

Douglas Richard at the Old Bailey on Monday (PA)

A former adviser to David Cameron appeared in court accused of paying a 13-year-old schoolgirl to be his sex slave after meeting her on a “sugar daddy” website.

Douglas Richard, 57, who also appeared on the BBC’s Dragons’ Den, spanked the teenager in front of her friend at a rented apartment, before taking her alone into the bedroom for sex, a court heard.

Mr Richard, who once advised on entrepreneurial policy for Mr Cameron, has admitted to having sex with the girl but said that he believed she was aged at least 16.

The US-born millionaire met the girl via a US website called Seeking Arrangement, where profiles are created for “sugar daddies, sugar mummies or sugar babies”, the Old Bailey heard. The girl, who weighed less than 6st and was barely 5ft tall, described herself on the site as a sugar baby while he said he was a sugar daddy, the court heard.

The pair had explicit online conversations and Mr Richard encouraged her to send naked photographs, the court heard. “Think of this as your first test for your new daddy,” Mr Richard allegedly wrote in a message to her. “Get it wrong and I will just have to spank you.”

After further exchanges, the girl allegedly told him: “You’re my new daddy. I will do anything to make you happy.” The court heard that he responded: “Good answer.”

Mr Richard paid £360 in total to the girl and her friend, then aged 15, who travelled by train from their home town of Norwich to London on 2 January last year, the court heard.

The jury saw CCTV footage of the girls arriving at Liverpool Street station where they met Mr Richard. The 13-year-old told him that she was aged 17 and her older companion was aged 16, the court heard.

Mr Richard took them to a nearby flat where the older girl was asked “if she wanted to be his slave”, the court heard. “I told him I wanted to die a virgin and he laughed at me,” the girl said during her police interview. Mr Richard then spanked the younger girl and ordered her to give him oral sex while the second girl watched, said Gino Connor, prosecuting. The jury was told that Mr Richard then took the 13-year-old into the bedroom where they had sex.

Mr Richard allegedly then gave both girls £60 and hailed a taxi so they could go to the shop American Apparel. The incident came to light when the older girl’s mother noticed £120 had been paid into her daughter’s account and was used to buy train tickets.

Mr Richard was arrested at a hotel three days after the alleged sexual activity. He told officers: “As you can see I am in a lot of trouble.” He later added: “Can I ask you a question, a hypothetical question? What if I thought she was over 16 but she was in fact under 16?”

Mr Richard, from Islington, north London, denies five charges related to child sexual activity.

The case continues.