A financial advisor, accused of battering a Mayfair millionaire to death after stealing £343,000 from him, has told a jury: "I would never contemplate harming Robert."
David Jeffs, 36, of Larch Close, Arnold, Nottingham denies murdering wealthy socialite Roberto Troyan, 63, who suffered fatal head injuries at his home in Mount Street on March 8.
Twice-married father-of-one said: "I had a very good relationship with Robert, we were friends. He bought us a nice wedding gift."
Mr. Troyan, (pic.top) the civil partner of the late interior designer Anthony Feldman, invested bonds of £650,000 and £550,000 on the advice of Jeffs, who also became his £1,000 per week 'financial concierge'.
The defendant was also earning £53,000 per year with London and Weybridge, Surrey-based HFM Columbus and enjoyed an annual expense account of £8,000.
"I was doing a lot of work for Robert, some of it overpaid, but at no time was it fraudulent," Jeffs (pic.bottom) told the Croydon Crown Court jury. "He was very vigilant about his money, it was very precious to him."
The defendant admitted not declaring his income to the taxman after 2008 explaining: "It became less and less of a priority and became my ongoing shame.
"Everyday it was a crashing reality and every day looked worse in my mind."
Jeffs claims a blood-stained mystery man confronted him on the landing outside the flat on the day of the murder and told the jury there were often random men present and evidence of drug-fuelled sex parties when he arrived for meetings.
"I saw a lot of evidence of cocaine taking and sometimes there would be men I did not know there.
"Leather paddles and pornography was poorly hidden in a wicker basket and I once found Robert completely naked, passed out in his lounge surrounded by sexual paraphernalia."
There was also evidence of whips and sex toys used during the parties, the court heard, and Jeffs said gay porn would still be on the television when he arrived.
The jury have been told he abused his client's trust, buying himself two Lotus sports cars, blowing £19,500 in one night at lap dancing club Spearmint Rhino and treating himself to "expensive" holidays in the USA, Mauritius and Ibiza.
There were also VIP rugby and polo events, stays at expensive hotels, meals at top restaurants, a £1150 night at celebrity West End club Chinawhite and evidence of cocaine and ecstasy use.
Jeffs admitted using cocaine and ecstasy, claiming he was introduced to the drugs by one of a string of girlfriends he had after his first marriage ended in 2008.
He was introduced to Mr. Troyan in early 2008 and tasked with getting a grip on his finances.
"He'd been left an awful lot of money from the sale of the matrimonial home and had an undesirable group around him that were encouraging him to spend a lot of money at a quick rate and his society friends were concerned.
"Robert's main aim was to have the money at arms length so it wouldn't be frittered away.
"He had all these hangers-on that would march him down to the bank and spend his money for him.
"He was probably the most unusual person I've met, very flamboyant, very loud, very flighty and his attention span was extremely short and he wilfully misunderstood things if they were things he did not want to hear.
"Robert was a lot of work for my staff, demanding money at odd times and at odd places," added Jeffs.
"The staff at Columbus felt he was very offensive, he'd talk down to them, yell at them, call up drunk."
Jeffs estimated he was spending three to four hours per week sorting out Mr. Troyan's everyday finances and charged him his financial consultant rate of £250 per hour to be his 'concierge'.
"Out of some sense of guilt for the work I was doing for him he said: 'We have got to work out a way to pay you for this.'
"It was a generous four hours per week and you have to take into account the time he took up with his calls, sometimes in the middle of the night and all through the day.
"It was deliberately excessive, not a role I enjoyed."
After doing financial "bits and bobs" for free for eighteen months Jeffs told the jury he was paid a lump-sum of £60,000 in back-pay by Mr. Troyan.
When asked if he defrauded Mr. Troyan the defendant replied: "Absolutely not."
Jeffs has pleaded not guilty to murdering Mr. Troyan on March 8 and defrauding him between March 1, 2010 and December 2, last year.
He was found on his blood-splattered kitchen floor by his cleaner and had suffered multiple skull fractures, a fractured jaw, cheek and eye-socket and had inhaled blood into his airways.
The trial continues………….
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