Shop staff say Ryder claimed she was rehearsing shoplifter role

The actress Winona Ryder told a Saks Fifth Avenue security manager that she was rehearsing for a role as a shoplifter when she was apprehended for taking clothes from the store. She explained that a director had suggested shoplifting as a way to prepare for the part.

The security manager at the Beverly Hills store, Kenneth Evans, was cross-examined yesterday about his claim that Ms Ryder had admitted shoplifting. His evidence appeared to come as a surprise to the defence.

Mr Evans told the court that Ms Ryder was polite and helpful when confronted with the alleged theft. He said he spoke to her before calling the police.

"She just said she was doing what her director told her to do in preparation for her role as a shoplifter," Mr Evans said of the actress.

He had noticed Ms Ryder because she had so many items that she was having difficulty carrying them. He said he had not recognised her at first and was not influenced one way or another by her fame. "I couldn't care less," he said.

Ms Ryder, 31, whose film credits include Heathers, Edward Scissorhands, Little Women, The Crucible and the recent Mr Deeds, is charged with stealing $5,500 (£3,500) worth of goods from the store last December. She faces a maximum of three years in jail and is currently on $20,000 bail. She is pleading not guilty, her defence claiming that she was the victim of a security team who have changed their evidence.

The court also saw part of a security video tape which showed Ms Ryder in the store, collecting various items. The actress is seen going into a dressing room where the cameras do not operate. It is alleged that she cut off the security tags from the items and that those tags were later found in the pocket of a jacket in the store.

The district attorney who is prosecuting the case, Ann Rundle, told the jury that Ms Ryder was carrying scissors with her when she entered the store. She said that the actress had paid for four items but had stolen 20 others. She described the incident as a "simple case of theft".

The defence lawyer, Mark Geragos, told the jury that his client was innocent and that they would hear "bald-faced lies" from security staff. "This is a case about a woman who has been wronged," Mr Geragos said.

The trial is expected to last at least a week.