By KIM SENGUPTA
LONDON - Jeffrey Archer cheated on both his wife and his mistress with other women, the Old Bailey was told yesterday in another day of racy evidence about his allegedly complicated private life.
Angela Peppiatt, aged 56, his former secretary, was unsure how many lovers the Tory peer
had. "I cannot remember the exact number; he certainly had quite a few women who came to the apartment."
She had bought presents on his behalf for "six or seven" women, but some of them were friends.
The jury was told that Lord Archer's main mistress, Andrina Colquhoun, who "cared very deeply for him," was unaware of her rivals for his extra-marital affections.
But such was her position at his London penthouse flat, Alembic House, that she would remove and hide photographs of Mary Archer, forcing the staff to play "hunt the photos" whenever Lady Archer was expected to pay a visit.
Lord and Lady Archer, Ms Peppiatt told the jury, "led very separate lives ... "
Lord Archer took copious notes as more allegations unfolded. He shook his head and rolled his eyes when the figures of "six or seven" women were mentioned.
He successfully sued the Daily Star newspaper in 1987, winning £500,000, over claims that he had sex with a prostitute. Peppiatt told the jury yesterday that it was a "fraudulent" victory.
She also claimed that he tried to use BBC's Newsnight and Barry Norman's Film 86 programme to help to create a false alibi with his friend Ted Francis for his libel trial.
"Jeffrey was saying in his statement that he had come back to wait for Ted Francis' phone call and he was clicking through the television programmes.
"I specifically found out what was on Newsnight or what was on Barry Norman so that Jeffrey could talk about what was actually on these programmes. Jeffrey handed the statement to me which had been typed out. He would then make his alterations and it would then be typed up again."
Lord Archer, aged 61, denies charges of perverting the course of justice, perjury and using a diary as a false instrument.
- INDEPENDENT
