Strauss-Kahn lashes out at the sexual focus of his trial

Former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn yesterday lashed out at the focus on his sexual behaviour in a French court where he is charged with pimping, saying he was not on trial for "deviant" acts.

The 65-year-old, once seen as a frontrunner for the French presidency, said the idea that his preference for certain practices highlighted in court, such as sodomy, would spur him to seek out prostitutes was "absurd".

For a second day, the court in the northern city of Lille picked apart sex parties attended by Strauss-Kahn in Paris, Brussels and Washington in a bid to uncover whether he arranged for prostitutes to attend.

While prostitution in itself is legal, encouraging and organising its practice is considered to be procuring and is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

Strauss-Kahn denies knowing that the women with whom he engaged in "free and friendly" sex parties were prostitutes, saying paying for sex would be too great a risk for a man at the head of the IMF, which was busy "saving the world from an unprecedented" financial crisis.

Yesterday's proceedings began with an emotional account from Jade, an ex-prostitute, about a night in a Brussels hotel where she said Strauss-Kahn sodomised her without permission, in what she said was a clear sign he knew she was paid to be there.