Lefteris Pitarakis / ASSOCIATED PRESS

FIA President Max Mosley has sued English weekly newspaper News of the World for a breach of privacy case.

updated 3:36 p.m. ET July 8, 2008

LONDON - Four women who took part in sadomasochistic role-playing with motor racing chief Max Mosley told a court Tuesday that the event was not the "Nazi-themed orgy'' described in a tabloid newspaper.

Mosley, 68, is suing the News of the World for invasion of privacy over a March story that alleged he attended a five-hour sex session in which participants played concentration camp inmates and guards.

Mosley, the son of late British fascist leader Oswald Mosley, acknowledges a lifelong interest in sadomasochism, but said Monday that he found the idea of Nazi sex fantasies abhorrent. He said he and the women acted out a German prison scenario, but without any Nazi aspect.

On Tuesday, one of the women - labeled "Mistress Switch'' by the newspaper - told the High Court that she organized "spanking parties'' attended by Mosley, whom she knew as Mike.

The woman, whose identity is protected by a court order and was called "A'' in court, said Mosley was "an extremely charming, mild-mannered and interesting man.'' She denied there were Nazi overtones to their activities.

"I would not contemplate putting on such scenes, which I would find distasteful, and I would expect most people to be disgusted at the suggestion of a Nazi theme and respond similarly,'' she said.

She said that S&M role-play was "like children playing Cowboys and Indians, it's adults having fun.''

Another woman, identified as "D,'' said the scenario they acted out that day was a "prison fantasy.''

"I did not see anything Nazi,'' she said.

A third woman, "B,'' said she had joined in the activities wearing a suspender belt, stockings, high heeled shoes and a German Luftwaffe jacket that she had bought in London's Camden Market.

B, who is German, was asked if it had been a Nazi scenario.

"Under no circumstances, and I'm very upset and offended because it is an insult and offense if a newspaper equates German with being Nazi - my grandparents were not members of that party,'' she said.

A fourth woman, "C,'' said she had attended between five and eight parties with Mosley and also denied there had been any Nazi overtones.

The fifth woman at the March encounter, identified as "E,'' covertly recorded it for the News of the World.

After the story broke, Mosley faced calls to quit as president of the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile, which oversees Formula One racing. Despite the pressure, the FIA chief won a confidence vote last month allowing him to stay until his fourth term ends in October 2009.

Mosley's lawyers say the expose devastated his family and are demanding the tabloid pay large punitive damages to discourage similar stories.

The News of the World says readers have a right to know about the behavior of Mosley because he is a public figure and his conduct was reprehensible.