Alleged sex act 'probably a dare'

In his closing speech for The Sun, which is fighting a libel claim

brought by the couple over an alleged sex act in public, Mr Carman

referred to the video of a boozy party in which the 38-year-old actress

was seen simulating sex acts with a large sausage and a wine bottle.

''It may be that the unfortunate words of Gillian Taylforth -- 'I give

good head' -- uttered no doubt in jest on a film which she never thought

would see the light of day, may summarise what happened that evening and

may be her epitaph. I don't know,'' he said.

''But the truth of this case is that this was a foolish jape, probably

a dare from one partner to another when they had both had a significant

amount to drink, which they thought would never be seen because the

traffic would simply go past.''

Miss Taylforth, who plays Kathy Beale in the BBC soap, and Mr Knights,

39, are suing the newspaper for repeating a police allegation that they

had oral sex on the slip-road off the A1 in Hertfordshire, after a day

at Ascot races in June 1992.

Mr Carman said Miss Taylforth was ''attractively and sympathetically''

presented in the witness box as a lady suffering from immense distress

over the allegation.

''Her baby Jessica was waved in and out of the script as if Miss

Taylforth was president of the Mothers' Union,'' he said. ''But we know

that wasn't the true and whole picture of Gillian Taylforth.''

The side of her which

had been ''carefully concealed'' was revealed in the video and showed

''a woman capable of coarseness in front of other people, in front of

the camera when in drink''.

It showed ''sexual coarseness of a kind some of us might not find

particularly pleasing -- and something she didn't seem to be ashamed

about in any way''.

Miss Taylforth sat stony-faced as Mr Carman said the unpalatable truth

of the case was that it was riddled with improbability heaped upon

improbability to the point of being ''frankly incredible''.

Mr Carman said the case had a unique feature in the history of libel

actions, the ''strange coincidence'' that Miss Taylforth, who was

accused of oral sex in public, was filmed ''boasting'' about her own

capacity for such an act.

The coincidence was even stranger because Mr Knights, a man with a

catalogue of convictions, had ''freely admitted'' to the police that he

had committed that offence.

An attempt had been made to paint a picture of Constable Talbot, who

was in no doubt that he had caught the couple in the act, as ''some sort

of secret Wyatt Earp, dressed up in a stetson and holster'' at his local

shooting club.

The suggestion that Mr Talbot wanted to make a name for himself as the

officer who nicked Gillian Taylforth, was absurd.

''I don't know whether you go down in the Guinness Book of Records if

you nick an EastEnders' actress for oral sex on the A1 but, in fact, he

did not nick her -- he let her go home and got told off for it by his

inspector because he was over-compassionate.''

Miss Taylforth and Mr Knights, who live at Belmont Court, Highbury New

Park, north London, claim they pulled over for Mr Knights to be sick

when he suffered an attack of pancreatitis.

He undid his trousers to ease the pain and Miss Taylforth was leaning

towards him in concern, with her hand on his stomach, when the officer

arrived.

The Sun denies libel and says the story, which included the actress's

angry denial of the police accusation as a ''load of bullshit'', was

true.

However, if it was untrue, the Metropolitan Police were responsible as

they supplied the information, it says.

The hearing continues today.