James Denies Torturing Woman, Beating Another : Court: Tearful singer says his mother’s death caused him to plunge into drug use. Prosecutor calls suspect a liar.

Singer Rick James quietly sobbed on the witness stand Wednesday as he described how his mother’s 1991 death contributed to his downward spiral of sex and drugs, but denied he tortured a woman with a hot cocaine pipe at his Hollywood Hills home and then forced her to have oral sex with his girlfriend.

During nearly three hours of testimony in the third week of his San Fernando Superior Court trial on 15 felony counts--which could put him in prison for the rest of his life--James also denied beating a second woman nearly a year and a half later at the posh St. James’ Club Hotel in West Hollywood.

In his testimony, James denied that his life had imitated his art. Instead, while describing his long career in music, James said his 1981 hit song “Super Freak” changed his life, drawing to him many women similar to the woman described in the song as “a very kinky girl . . . the type you don’t bring home to mother.”

The tune began as just a “silly song,” not an autobiographical account, he said.

“I don’t even know what ‘super freak’ means,” said James. “I could take any girl home to my mother.”

It was the death of James’ mother, which occurred shortly before the alleged incident at his home, that brought him to tears Wednesday. He said her death so depressed him that he became a recluse in his own bedroom and lost himself in drugs, which he said had been part of his life off and on since he was 15.

“I just kind of gave up,” James said, his voice trembling.

According to the testimony of other defense witnesses, a portrait of James’ mother hung on the wall of his Marina del Rey condominium, alongside his gold records.

James dressed conservatively for his day in court, wearing a tan double-breasted suit with a white shirt buttoned at the collar. His long hair was slicked back into a ponytail and he wore one gold hoop earring.

But neither the conservative outfit nor the tears impressed prosecutor Andrew Flier, who, outside the courtroom, called James a liar.

“He has perjured himself and fabricated stories,” said Flier, who is scheduled to cross-examine James today. “He has a justification for every fact that goes against him.”

James’ testimony marked the singer’s first public account of what happened in July, 1991, and November, 1992.

A 26-year-old woman testified earlier in the trial that she spent nearly a week that July smoking cocaine with James and his girlfriend, Tanya Anne Hijazi, at James’ former home in the hills above Studio City. Twice, she testified, she consented to sex with James. But the party ended one morning when James became angry and accused her of stealing some of his drugs.

She said he forced her to remove her clothes and then he tied her naked to a chair. He then burned her repeatedly with a hot kitchen knife, a lighter and a cocaine pipe. After about 40 minutes, she said James untied her, but then forced her to have oral sex with Hijazi. After that, all three had sex together.

The November incident allegedly involved a 35-year-old woman who testified previously that James and Hijazi invited her to join them at the West Hollywood hotel to discuss business, but she said that after a few drinks and smoking cocaine, the two punched her in the face repeatedly and choked her.

James testified Wednesday that the first alleged victim initiated sex with Hijazi and that he did not become aware of her injuries until about two days after the woman had left his home.

Another defense witness, self-described music producer Christine Blais, had testified Thursday that the woman told her the injuries had come from a hot motorcycle. But, asked to show the jury where the woman’s injuries were located, Blais pointed to her inner thighs. When shown photographs of the woman’s actual injuries, including burns to her calves, Blais said, “I didn’t look at her whole body.”

In his testimony, James also said that when he noticed a bandage on the woman’s leg and asked her about it, she said it was a motorcycle burn. He said he didn’t believe her and insisted that she see a doctor, even asking his bodyguard to take her to the hospital.

But at the hospital, the extent of the injuries led hospital officials to call police. James was arrested two weeks later in an early morning raid of his home.

James was in the midst of explaining the St. James’ Club Hotel incident in court Wednesday when proceedings were halted for the day. The defense is expected to place the blame for the injuries on Hijazi, who has pleaded guilty to a single count of assault with a deadly weapon in exchange for all other charges being dismissed.

She is to be sentenced on Sept. 21 to four years in prison.

In taking the stand, James attempted to present himself to the ten-man, two-woman jury as a respected record producer and performer rather than the “sadistic animal” who likes to hurt women--the portrait painted by the prosecutor.

James spoke of his music career, which he said began when he was an 8-year-old singing shoeshine boy in his hometown of Buffalo, N. Y. By the age of 15, he left home and moved to Toronto, where he began performing with bands--and started snorting cocaine and drinking.

In 1978, he had his first hit album, “Come And Get It,” which he said sold more than 7 million copies. In the following years he recorded other hit albums and produced albums for singer Tina Marie and the group The Mary Jane Girls.

In 1981, he produced and recorded his most popular album, “Street Song,” which contained the single “Super Freak” and which he said sold more than 40 million copies. Three years later he co-wrote and co-produced comedian Eddie Murphy’s first album, “Party All The Time,” which also sold well.

During that time he had been moving back and forth between Buffalo and Los Angeles, before deciding to settle down in the Hollywood Hills in 1991.