A 52-year-old St George’s man has denied three charges in relation to the theft of cash from a bank account in November of 2013, saying he was “roped in” by a woman he believed would have sex with him.

Marvin Woolridge pleaded not guilty to stealing cash to the value of $5,200 belonging to Elizabeth Hanson, to dishonestly receiving the cash knowing it to be stolen, and for being in possession of the cash knowing, directly or indirectly, it to be representing the proceeds of fraudulent activity.

Magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo heard how Mr Woolridge was in communication with a Patricia Williams via WhatsApp cellphone messages in which she instructed him to visit HSBC and take out a cash advance order to the value of $5,200.

Prosecutor Kenlyn Swan told the court how Ms Williams instructed him to say it was for his friend but later instructed him to say it was his employer who owed him money, the court heard.

He went to the bank, produced his driving licence, signed the cash advance order and took the money. It was said that he was then called on his cellphone with instructions to meet someone at the Botanical Gardens and hand over the cash. He was said to have met a Filipino woman in the gardens who he gave the money to and in return she gave him $500.

Mr Woolridge was arrested on suspicion of theft and his cellphone was handed over to a member of the Digital Forensics Unit. An officer from the Financial Crime Unit gave a witness statement during the hearing saying he heard of a complaint from Ms Hanson. “She said she had answered an e-mail purportedly from HSBC bank and as a result her card had become compromised,” he said, adding “$5,200 had been removed from her account without her knowledge or consent.”

At one point Mr Woolridge interjected the officer’s statement to say: “Do you recall, I said I was guilty of one thing — trying to get some white p***y?”

He claimed to be the victim of Ms Williams but the officer told the court he believed that Mr Woolridge “saw an opportunity to get money and he took it”.

Taking to the witness box, Mr Woolridge said Ms Williams sounded “legit” but “roped me in, she sent me pictures, naked pictures and I’m like, are you serious?

“I’m a man.” he said.

He recalls picking up the money from the bank and then receiving a call from someone telling him to take the money to the Botanical Gardens

“I’m not going to go and pick up money from the Botanical Gardens knowing it’s fraudulent.

“I was just a weak man — I didn’t know nothing about it, she roped me right in, I ain’t lying.”

Ms Swan said that Mr Woolridge had previously said he had suspected it was a scam and asked him why then he went ahead with the transaction to which he replied: “If I had known it was a scam I would have taken the whole lot.”