Court told of 'rude' Martha Stewart

MARTHA Stewart, who had been winning the PR war in her trial over insider trading claims, had a setback when the prosecution's star witness reduced the court to laughter with descriptions of her rudeness.

Douglas Faneuil said at one point that America's TV domestic goddess sounded like a 'lion roaring under water' and said: 'I have never ever been treated more rudely by a stranger on the telephone.'

He added she had threatened to drop Merrill Lynch as her broker because she disliked the 'hold' music on the phone system so much.

Faneuil was assistant to Peter Bacanovic, the Merrill broker who handled Stewart's account and who, like her, is accused of obstructing an investigation into the share sale.

But on the third day of his testimony, defence attorneys attempted to show her rudeness had led Faneuil to falsely accuse her. They portrayed him as a liar and drug user in an attempt to discredit his evidence that Stewart sold shares in ImClone Systems on inside information he provided.

Faneuil said he lied about the stock sale at first because he was afraid of losing his job.