A former Wall Street businessman recalled today how Roman Polanski chatted up his model girlfriend and offered to turn her into a Hollywood star.

Edward Perlberg told the high court that his Norwegian girlfriend, Beate Telle, had been "flustered" and got up to leave after Polanski sat next to her at the New York restaurant, Elaine's.

He said Ms Telle had told him the director had "touched" her and invited her to have a screen test in Hollywood where he would make her "another Sharon Tate".

Polanski is suing over the allegation, which appeared in Vanity Fair in July 2002. The article, written by AE Hotchner, claimed the filmmaker had made sexual advances to Ms Telle on the way to his wife's funeral in 1969.

Polanski, the director of Rosemary's Baby and The Pianist, denies the incident took place.

Mr Perlberg said the director had "monopolised" his girlfriend's attentions at the fashionable New York eaterie, and had sat down between her and his friend, Lewis Lapham.

"I began to see that she was somewhat flustered. I did not hear what the conversations were about. Afterwards she looked at me and said, 'Edward, we are leaving'.

"This was unusual. [It is] normally something we would have suggested together. We just got up and went out the door. We got in a cab and Miss Telle told me she was very agitated. I said, 'what's up?'. She said words to the effect that, 'he touched me with his hand and said I should come to Hollywood'. He said he would get her a screen test and make her another Sharon Tate."

Mr Perlberg said he thought Polanski's behaviour had been "creepy", but said he thought "perhaps he should be excused because he had just suffered a terrible shock".

Polanski's wife, Sharon Tate, was murdered by Charles Manson's "family" in August 1969.

Under cross-examination by Polanski's QC, John Kelsey-Fry, Mr Perlberg said he had not intervened when his girlfriend had first appeared flustered.

"I was somewhat annoyed. I just watched," he said. "She made an expression with her face that she was uncomfy but she did not vocalise. I did nothing."

Asked if Polanski had put his hand on Ms Telle's thigh, Mr Perlberg said he could not see because the tablecloth was in the way. "What she said was: 'He touched me under the table.'"

Questioned by Mr Kelsey-Fry, he said he had not mentioned the touching incident in his witness statement two years ago because he was trying to "protect" Ms Telle.

"I did not think there was going to be a trial. I did not go into so much detail. I was trying to protect her honour. That's just the way I was brought up. I tempered the story."

He said he had lost touch with Ms Bette and that the last address he had for her was in Oslo. The case continues.

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