THE estranged wife of former councillor Anthony Ramsden-Geary has taken to the stand to defend him.

Harriet Ramsden-Geary, who has been separated from her husband since May in an "acrimonious" split, acted as a witness for the defence at Bournemouth Crown Court today.

Anthony Ramsden-Geary, a planning consultant, faces one charge of obtaining credit as an undisclosed bankrupt, which he denies.

It is alleged that he borrowed £25,000 from business partner Christopher Wardrop without telling him of his bankruptcy.

Mrs Ramsden-Geary told the jury at Bournemouth Crown Court that the couple needed to borrow money after getting a mortgage on a house in Flaghead Road in 2007.

However, after the family had moved in, the house was revalued, adding a further £25,000 to the bill, the court heard.

She said they borrowed the money from Mr Wardrop with the understanding that it would be reimbursed through her commission made on their company, Planning Solutions Ltd.

The mother-of-three said that in 2008, the market went into "free fall" and the couple struggled to pay the complainant back for some months.

But Mr Wardrop told the court during this evidence that he believed the money was for a new property for the defendant's parents in Bath Hill Court, and that it would be repaid within three weeks.

Mrs Ramsden-Geary said the intention had always been to repay her business partner, but there was no agreement on the time set for repayment.

She said: “He (Mr Wardrop) knew when he loaned the money what my outgoings were and he knew they would have to be covered first in order to keep my family safe.”

Ramsden-Geary, 44, of Western Road, Poole, has already pleaded guilty to five breeches of the Insolvency Act.

The trial at Bournemouth Crown Court continues.