An ex-British boxing champion from Bellingham is fighting his corner at the Old Bailey after being accused of fraud offences.

Anthony Small, formerly of Southend Lane, denies three fraud charges relating to parking fines going back five years.

Small, 34, is on trial accused of giving false names and addresses to the DVLA in 2010 and 2011, claiming they were the registered keepers of his motorbike.

He is also accused of giving a forged insurance document to the Charlton pound in 2012.

The former British and Commonwealth light middleweight champion allegedly listed Tony Beckford, and later Gavin Andison, as the registered keepers of a BMW C1 scooter.

The bike is said to have accrued thousands of pounds worth of fines after being parked illegally.

Prosecuting, Meyrick Williams said while there may be a Tony Beckford, a Gavin Andison or Gavin Anderson "and even a Hans Christian Andersen", none were to be found at any of the addresses given.

The court heard after hanging up his gloves, Small began trading cars and motorbikes for a living.

MORE TOP STORIES He told the jury he initially bought the 200cc bike with Mr Beckford as part of a partnership in used car sales.

But their relationship broke down due to debt.

Small claims he then sold the bike to Mr Beckford, before buying it back at a reduced rate to recoup some of the debt.

Parking it on what he says he thought was private land, he was later “horrified” to discover it had been impounded twice.

The allegations of the forged insurance document relate to a Mazda car, which Small says he bought from a friend, Ricardo, who continued to drive it despite Small being the registered keeper.

After the car was impounded at Charlton, Ricardo gave Small an insurance document so he could collect it.

Dressed in all black, Small told the jury: “He assured me the insurance was fully valid.

“This was given to me by Ricardo. [I] would not believe as a friend, there would be no way I thought he would let me go into [the impound] without an insurance certificate that was 100 per cent legitimate.”

The court heard the car was returned from the impound, and Small said he had no suspicions “whatsoever” the documents may be dodgy.

The trial continues.