City worker 'posted fake porn photos of colleague'

Davide Buccheri allegedly harassed a colleague at the investment management firm M&G

A City worker posted fake photos of his colleague on porn websites after she refused to give him her mobile number, a court heard.

Davide Buccheri, 25, is accused of the "malicious" harassment while working at the investment management firm M&G.

Hendon Magistrates' Court heard Mr Buccheri told the woman's bosses about the photos to discredit her.

Mr Buccheri from Bologna, Italy, pleaded not guilty to a single charge of harassment.

Prosecutor Aimee Emby said Mr Buccheri showed an "excessive" interest in the woman when she joined the company as an intern in 2016.

The alleged victim turned down Mr Buccheri's invitation of going for a coffee, but changed her mind before then repeatedly postponing the meet-up.

She also refused to give him her telephone number when he asked for it, the court heard.

Ms Emby claimed Mr Buccheri took images from his colleague's social media accounts and downloaded pornographic images of women of similar build from the internet.

'Uneasy feeling'

The pictures were allegedly uploaded to porn websites after being edited and cropped to make them look like the woman.

It is claimed Buccheri used M&G's internal whistleblowing system to tell bosses about the images.

Ms Emby said: "The defendant had a considerable romantic interest.

"Following his rejection he pursued an increasingly complex and insidious amount of harassment."

Ms Emby added that Mr Buccheri's actions were aimed at "destroying her credibility and reputation".

The woman said she now has "low" confidence and finds it hard to trust her instincts around male colleagues.

Giving evidence from behind a curtain, the woman said she had an "uneasy feeling" about Mr Buccheri but felt "devastated and extremely surprised" when she saw the images.

The trial continues.