doctor 28 sent abusive messages to himself and made false reports to police in an attempt to sabotage his flatmate's relationships

A doctor has denied faking text messages in order to sabotage his flatmate's relationships.

Javed Saumtally, accused of creating bogus screenshots, told his trial that he did not know it was possible.

The 28-year-old doctor, from Ipswich in Suffolk, allegedly made false reports to police, his trial heard.

He is also accused of sending threatening messages while living in Brighton, East Sussex, in 2018.

Javed Saumtally, 28, has denied faking text messages in order to sabotage his flatmate's relationships

Saumtally has pleaded not guilty to a single charge of perverting the course of justice and is standing trial at Hove Crown Court.

Earlier in the trial, prosecutor Jonathan Atkinson suggested Saumtally was 'motivated by his own feelings' for his male flatmate, who he had first met when the pair were living in Brighton, East Sussex.

Mr Atkinson said the defendant set about 'sending abusive and derogatory messages from unknown numbers' to his flatmate but also to himself, 'no doubt to make it look like he was also a victim and to deflect attention away from him'.

Giving evidence in the witness box on Wednesday, Saumtally was asked by defence barrister Janet Weeks if he had faked the text messages.

The doctor, from Ipswich in Suffolk, allegedly made false reports to police, his trial heard

He told the jury: 'No. I wouldn't even know how to do it.

'I wasn't aware that was even possible.'

Prosecutor Mr Atkinson suggested Saumtally was jealous of his flatmate, who the defendant had previously been in a brief relationship with.

Saumtally said this was not the case, arguing that the pair had been clear that he was eventually moving to Ipswich and that the relationship had an end date.

The jury previously heard that when a man his flatmate had been seeing returned from a trip to Portugal, he was met with screenshots of WhatsApp messages he had supposedly sent, suggesting he had been seeing other people on the trip.

Saumtally has pleaded not guilty to a single charge of perverting the course of justice and is standing trial at Hove Crown Court  

Mr Atkinson said Saumtally was 'desperate' to try to prove to his flatmate that it was that man, suggesting Saumtally had 'set up' the WhatsApp messages.

Saumtally denied doing this.

Earlier in the trial, the court heard that Saumtally is accused of using fake messaging applications and websites in order to furnish a deception.

One such alleged fake message, the court heard, pretended to be to received by Saumtally from a man his flatmate knew and said: '...I am going to ruin his life'.

The trial continues.