Macca's pal says girl 'was 16 before nude pic'

London (ANI): Sir Paul McCartney's photographer friend Paul Caffell told the jury at Gloucester Crown Court that he waited until a model was 16 before taking explicit photos of her. In a previous hearing, prosecutor Peter Blair told the court that Caffell paid 20 pounds to a 15-year-old girl to pose naked, before blindfolding and having sex with her.

However, the 68-year-old, charged for taking indecent pictures of young child models, insisted he said to the girl when she was 15 that she was too young to pose naked. Caffell, renowned for his platinum printing technique and for his work with Sir Paul and his late wife Linda, also denies sexually abusing her during the sessions.

"Having done this job for 45 years I was unlikely to be anything other than within the law," the Mirror quoted Caffell, as saying.

The dad-of-three, who is also friends with David Bailey, now faces 12 charges rather than 18 after the judge cleared him of allegations relating to another girl. The court trial continues.