Web Entrepreneur Attacked Girlfriend At £2m Apartment

Court Date: Sardine

A privately-educated playboy, whose £17m photo messaging app Fling collapsed earlier this year, attacked his girlfriend during a row over his ex sleeping-over at his luxury Thames side apartment. 

Marco Nardone, 29, the son of a millionaire wine merchant, dragged girlfriend Toni Allcock by the hair and kicked her in the stomach at the £2m flat.

Nardone, who was educated at £36,000- year Charterhouse, and is a physics graduate of Imperial College London appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court today.

He pleaded guilty to assaulting Ms Allcock at the flat in Distillery Wharf, Regatta Lane, Hammersmith on December 12 and was bailed for sentencing on January 18.

Prosecutor Mr. Jonathan Bryan told the court Ms Allcock was unhappy about Nardone’s ex-girlfriend staying at the flat while she was away.

Eventually the row turned violent, explained the prosecutor. “It was quite a sustained assault.

“He grabs her by the neck with both his hands and she was shouting: ‘Leave me alone.’

“He slapped her across the face and she managed to get out of the flat’s front door into the communal hallway.

“He locked her out of the flat and she banged on the door, demanding to be allowed back in.

“She tried to press the block’s concierge bell in the hallway, but Mr. Nardone prevented her doing that by covering the bell with his hand.

“She made for the lift and he followed her and dragged her back towards the flat by her hair.

“Again she made for the lift and CCTV shows Mr. Nardone blocking the lift’s doors from closing and he kicked her in the stomach and she fell to the floor.” 

The magistrates - sitting in a specific domestic violence court - felt the offence was so serious a pre-sentence probation report was necessary.

Nardone’s app Fling - which allowed users to send photos to random people - was effectively hijacked by sexting and never made a penny.

He was backed by dad Remo, 81, owner of Enotria Winecellars, who reportedly gave him £1.5m when aged 23 to develop the app.

Nardone was the chief executive of Fling, which at its height claimed to have four million users , who sent fifty million messages.

However, while the app struggled to turn a profit for investors, estimated to have ploughed in £17m, Nardone featured his party lifestyle on his Instagram account, which included holidays in Ibiza, fine dining and relaxing at the riverside apartment.

The company is believed to be in administration, owing twitter £120,000; Google over £45,000 and £95,000 to the taxman.