A woman who has accused Noel Clarke of sexual assault is a “liar” who “did not feel uncomfortable” around him, the actor’s wife has told the High Court.
Clarke, 49, is suing Guardian News and Media (GNM) over seven articles and a podcast, including an article in April 2021 that said 20 women who knew him professionally had come forward with allegations of misconduct.
He denies the allegations, while GNM is defending its reporting as being true and in the public interest.
A woman who worked for Clarke’s production company Unstoppable between 2014 and 2017, accused the Kidulthood star of bullying colleagues and sexually assaulting her on a business trip to Los Angeles.
At a hearing on Thursday, Iris Clarke said she was present on that trip, having flown over with Clarke and their children.
She said of the accuser: “I didn’t see her very much, I saw her on two occasions.
“When I saw her she was very relaxed and comfortable.
“Someone who is a victim, feels intimidated, feels threatened, does not act the way she was.”
Mrs Clarke accused the woman of making false claims against her husband, saying: “She is a liar. She was not threatened or intimidated by him. I feel like she was infatuated with him.”
Asked by Gavin Millar KC, for GNM, how she knew the woman was never uncomfortable away from her own presence, Mrs Clarke replied: “I am telling you, she was never uncomfortable around my husband, and even when she was not in my presence I could see she was not uncomfortable, or do I have to be physically beside her?”
Mr Clarke finished giving evidence after three and a half days during which he was asked about his understanding of the word “banter”.
He said on Thursday: “I think the world has changed. I think things that were acceptable 10, 20 years ago are just no longer acceptable and throwing a blanket lens of 2021 on them is just not fair on anybody.
“Also, people have different cultures. If you look at Notting Hill Carnival and look at the dancing, there are dances where people jump on top of each other. If you put these dance moves in other cultures that would be considered assault.
“Even now, people at carnival have to be careful. The culture has changed.”
‘Not my business’ to ensure producer paid enough, Clarke tells High Court
Millar said at a hearing on Wednesday that the woman who worked for him had to take a bar job in Soho to “to make ends meet”.
He told Clarke: “You used her as a full-time assistant and worked her hard. She was poorly paid and struggling to make ends meet, and you knew that.”
Clarke replied: “That is not my business. I gave her money when I could. I let her sell things on eBay and keep the money. She has a mother. It’s her job to look after her, not mine.”
He continued: “We only ever agreed to pay expenses. We paid for flights most of the time when she wanted to go somewhere. None of us were making money. It was a bunch of freelancers trying to get films made. No-one was special. So I don’t know why I am responsible for her bank balance.”
The woman has accused Clarke of sexual assault and bullying and exposing himself to her in a car.
Clarke has denied this and contested Mr Millar’s assertion that he would scream at her, adding that he “helped her immensely”.
Millar said of the bar job: “You resented this because she was not available to do your Unstoppable work.”
Clarke replied: “There were times when we needed things done that were not done, including the contracts that ended up costing me £15,000. So if she was not doing things that she needed to do that caused quite an annoyance.”
The court also heard that Clarke owed the woman £3,000 after the production of Brotherhood, which Clarke said was a result of her having “manipulated her contract”.
Noel Clarke claims woman was ‘acting’ when describing alleged sexual misconduct
Also on Wednesday the court was played a recording of a phone call between Clarke and an actress known as “Maya”, in which Maya says she was subject to comments and looks from Clarke and felt pressured to be naked during a scene.
On the call, Clarke asked her: “Did I make you feel weird?”
Maya replied: “Yes, it was an uncomfortable experience. We were rehearsing the romantic scene. I didn’t say anything to you. I felt pressured to be naked from you in that scene. I did not feel strong enough to put my foot down. You would be looking me up and down, talking about my body.”
Clarke said in court: “Of course she is acting, she is setting out things for four years later or what she’s going to say to the newspaper.
“I now believe, at that point, she was a primary conspirator and this phone call was her acting.”
Later in the call, Clarke apologised for making “subconscious looks”, adding: “I don’t want to dismiss your feelings at all. I definitely want to apologise to you.”
He continued: “Anything that I said that was in my mind banter, I’m sorry.”
He also asked Maya to keep the conversation private at the end of the call.
Cross-examining Clarke, Millar said: “This was you becoming concerned about your sexual misconduct being spoken about.”
Clarke replied: “If a man makes a remote misstep, he is done. So am I quite within my rights to ask to keep it private.”
The court also heard how an announcement stating that Clarke was to receive a Bafta was the “straw that broke the camel’s back” and spurred the women who have made allegations into talking to the press.
After publication of the Guardian’s story in April 2021, Bafta issued a statement saying they had suspended Clarke’s award as well as his membership of the organisation.
At the hearing, Clarke said: “The people who had grudges and axes to grind could not bear to see me get that award.”
Philip Williams, for Clarke, previously told the court in written submissions that the actor “has clearly established the falsity of all of the allegations”.
The barrister continued that his client was “barely able to reply to the allegations” published by the Guardian and was “perceived as a criminal by all those who previously trusted and worked with him”.
Mr Millar said in his written submissions that the paper “did not simply accept what was said to it” and “much time and resource was devoted to getting to the truth”.
He also said there is “ample evidence” that all of the articles were true or substantially true.
The hearing before Mrs Justice Steyn is due to conclude in April, with a decision expected in writing at a later date.
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