The scar that helped win the case for Ginger Baker

[luisam]

"Ginger" Baker is recognized as "rock's first superstar drummer," founder of the rock band Cream with Jack Bruce and Eric Clapton and Blind Faith with Steve Winwood, Eric Clapton and Ric Grech. Since the 70s he has been dedicated to African music and jazz. 

 

In 2008, when he was living in South Africa about 8 years ago, a bank clerk, Lindiwe Noko, was charged with defrauding him of almost half a million Rand ($60,000). Baker said he had hired Noko as a personal assistant, paying her £7 per day (about 100 Rand) for performing various errands. They became friends, but he alerted police after discovering money missing from his account and alleged she used this position to uncover his private banking information and make unauthorized withdrawals.

 

Miss Noko claimed that she was the musician's lover and that he gave her the money as a gift. Baker replied that he could prove that they were never intimate.

 

"I've a scar that only a woman who had a thing with me would know. It's there and she doesn't know it's there". He refused to divulge the nature of the scar, unless Miss Noko found out.

 

"I'm quite prepared to strip. It may well come down to it," he added. And she couldn't tell!

 

Noko pleaded not guilty but was found guilty and convicted by the Paarl Regional Court of 23 counts of fraud for transferring 105,000 rand (£9,500) in regular internet payments from his account to hers in eight months from September 2006. She was found not guilty of defrauding him of a further 295,000 rand (£27,000) by buying a Golf GTI, because the magistrate could not be sure he had not given permission.

 

In a civil case heard earlier that year, she admitted she owed Mr Baker a total of 460,000 rand (£42,000) and pledged to pay some of it back. She never did!

 

 

 

She was sentenced to three years of "correctional supervision", a type of home-based community service. Baker called the sentence "a travesty of justice"

 

"She should have been in prison for what she did to me," he said. "I trusted her and took her into my life and she repaid me by stealing from me."

 

In earlier hearings, Mr Baker said that he had "liked" and wanted to help the "charming" young woman. He also bought her gifts including a diamond ring worth 50,000 rand (£4,500) and paid for an operation on her eye.

 

 

[funkyy]

When you're an "older" guy like Ginger Baker and a young woman comes into your life in some way it's easy to fall for the attention that she gives you and then you "trust" her because you're so happy to be receiving that attention at your age and you become naive and easy meat for the girl if her intentions are dishonest.

I'm not talking from experience....(cough).😀😀😀