A HIGH-FLYING racehorse owner being sued by his disabled Isle of Wight mother for the return of £123,000 told a court he would only pay her back by instalments - if he was forced to.

Bill Green, 46, told Brighton County Court that he is paying £240,000 a year rent for his Newmarket racehorse stud business and did not want to sell any of his assets if the judgment went against him.

Mother Terry Green, 71, is suing her son for £123,000 she claims was given to him as a short-term loan for his business ventures. She claims she was left homeless when he threw her out of the house he owned when arguments over the loan came to a head.

Mrs Green, now of Pondwell, Ryde, said she was ordered out at Christmas 2001 just months after the death of her husband. Former computer company boss Mr Green - who said the money was a gift from his mother - also punched his own sister on the jaw in another row over his financial dealings, the court heard.

Under cross-examination Mr Green, now of the 160-acre Egerton Stud in Cambridge Road, Newmarket, first said he had sufficient assets of his own to pay his mother but then that he did not have enough "unencumbered'' assets. He said his stud, livery and hospitality business was not, at present, making money. He told the court: "My rent is up to date at the moment and I will pay it when it becomes due if I desire or I will rent somewhere else if I have to, but my desire at the moment is to stay at Egerton at which I am the sole trader.''

Mr Green, formally of Chale House on the Isle of Wight, said the mortgage company had given him until April 18 to come to an arrangement to pay off substantial arrears on an outstanding £425,000 mortgage on the mansion, now up for auction. Mr Green also denied his sister Giselle's claim that in December 2001 he punched her on the jaw in a row over the money. He was aware of his mother's grievance but had spent the cash on day-to-day living expenses because "it was mine to do with as I chose.''

Mr Green, who has a counter claim against his mother of up to £65,000, also denies her claims he would pay back the money using cash from a deal with Sir Richard Branson.

"There was absolutely not a deal, nor did I tell her that she would be repaid by the proceeds from the sale of Chale House. The only way my mother could have known about it was by rifling through my files."

Judge Stephen Lloyd reserved judgement until next month.