"Privileged" Ex-Public Schoolboy's Tenfold Prescription Fraud

An ex-public schoolboy, who entertained Savoy hotel guests with his piano recitals, was told to take advantage of his “privileged position” to help kick his drink and drug addiction.

Solicitor’s son Piers Robert Fairweather Edmondson, 33, forged his prescription to obtain ten times the amount of an anti-anxiety drug he became dependent on.

The King’s College graduate was raised by his parents — who spend most of the year in the Cayman Islands - at their £2.75m home in Crabbett Wood, Itchingwood Common Road, Oxted.

On Monday he was sentenced at City of Westminster Magistrates Court after spending nearly four weeks in custody.

Fairweather, who quit the Royal College of Music due to his heavy drinking, pleaded guilty to possessing an article for use in fraud, namely a forged prescription at Boots, St. John’s Hill, Battersea on November 21, last year.

He also pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation at Boots, Victoria two days later and two counts of jumping bail, one of which put him in breach of a conditional discharge.

Fairweather was fined a total of £450, but magistrate Victoria Readman announced that due to time served in custody he would no have to pay a penny.

“Having the two prescriptions on two separate occasions and altered for you to gain more medication than you were entitled to are serious offences,” she told him.

“You are in a very privileged position in that you have a caring and loving family, who support you.

“A lot of young men do not have that support and due to your mother’s assistance there is an opportunity to attend a rehab centre in Derby.

“If you do not want to change yourself then it’s not going to happen. You obviously have enormous talents and are very intelligent so don’t ruin your life.”

Prosecutor Miss Carly Loftus told the court Edmonson initially entered Superdrug in Battersea. “He offered a prescription that had been tampered with for tablets for anxiety.

“A zero had been added to the four to make forty tablets and when this was pointed out he claimed his nephew must have tampered with it.

“He then went to Boots and offered the same prescription, but on this occasion the police were called and he was arrested.”

Edmondson tried a similar scam two days later. “He handed in a prescription, which the pharmacist told him was not legal.

“The defendant said he would return to his doctor friend to complete it, but he had filled-in the details himself.

“He also tried to increase the dose, using a letter from 2013 as proof, but staff received an alert from the NHS warning Edmondson was using forged prescriptions.”

The probation service told the court Edmondson led a “chaotic lifestyle” and had relapsed after recently spending five weeks in a rural rehab centre in Scotland.

He is on a methadone prescription for recovering heroin addicts and also developed a dependence on his anti-epilepsy drug pregabalin. 

Edmondson has been on Employment Support Allowance and his parents also helped pay for various accommodation.

His lawyer Miss Stephanie Panchkowry told the court: “The offences stem from his drug abuse.

“He is a very gifted man and read medicine at King’s College before switching to philosophy and graduating with a 2:1.

“He also played piano in the main foyer of the Savoy.

“He was suffering at the time of the offences and was drinking and using drugs.”  

His father, James Fairweather Edmondson, is a retired solicitor, who specialised in trusts and wills and is head of the Halecat Charitable Trust, based in Salisbury, Wiltshire.

Piers attended £35,000-a year The King’s School, Canterbury, whose alumni include Field-Marshal Bernard Montgomery; actor Orlando Bloom; former England cricket captain David Gower and TV chef Antony Worrall Thompson. 

GUILTY: Dad Convicted Of Thumping Son During Drunken Row After 'Boro's Play-Off Loss

Guilty: Mark McKenna Sr.

A father, who decked his teenage son during a drunken family row near Wembley stadium after enduring Middlesbrough FC’s play-off final defeat two seasons ago, has been convicted.

Mark McKenna ,45, was seen by police punching Mark McKenna Jr., 18, to the ground, leaving the youngster spitting blood, Harrow Crown Court heard.

The jury convicted him of inflicting grievous bodily harm on his son and he was bailed to June 9 for a pre-sentence report.

He was found not guilty of the more serious charge of causing GBH, with intent, outside a pub on May 25, 2015.

McKenna Sr., of Matford Avenue, Middlesbrough claimed he was the peace maker during the family’s post-match drinking session and was leading his son away.

Doctors later discovered McKenna Jr’s jaw was fractured in two placed, but it may have already broken after a weekend of brawling with family members and a pre-trip fight.

The family had travelled to London the day before, but their team were defeated 2-0 by Norwich City, who were promoted to the Premier League.

Mark McKenna Jr.

McKenna Sr. told police he had nine beers that day and intervened outside a pub when his son attacked his cousin Sam just before midnight.

He says his son then turned on him and McKenna Sr.’s father, Derek, 65, had to step in. “He attacked me and his grandad had to drag him off.

“I think I hit him back for hitting me, the top of his head, it was not hard. I was angry for him attacking me, there was no need for it.”

McKenna Sr. insists this blow could not have fractured his son’s jaw because it was aimed at the top of his head and didn’t knock him over.

Earlier McKenna Jr. reluctantly gave evidence and confirmed he had a fight in Middlesbrough on the eve of the trip that left his face swollen.

He had five or six cans of beer before the match and was angry with Sam. “He was winding me up and intimidating me, saying he was going to boot some respect into me.”

McKenna Jr. has three fights with Sam on the matchday, decking him twice and wanted to continue brawling when his father split them up.

He admitted punching his father, almost knocking him over, and “squaring up” as his dad tried to lead him away.

“I wanted him to get out of the way to get to Sam,” McKenna Jr. told the jury, admitting he was ready to strike his father again.

A passing police officer watched the confrontation and witnessed McKenna Sr. decking his son with a single blow.

He was taken to Northwick Park Hospital for treatment to a double jaw fracture.

Dad Decks Son After Middlesbrough FC's Play-Off Loss

Punch: Mark McKenna Sr.

A father broke his teenage son’s jaw in two places during a drunken family row near Wembley stadium after enduring Middlesbrough FC’s play-off final defeat two seasons ago, a court heard.

Mark McKenna ,45, was seen by police punching Mark McKenna Jr., 18, to the ground, leaving the youngster spitting blood, Harrow Crown Court was told last week.

However, McKenna Sr., of Matford Avenue, Middlesbrough claims his son’s jaw was probably already broken after a weekend of brawling with family members.

He has pleaded not guilty to causing grievous bodily harm, with intent, plus a lesser alternative charge in High Road, Wembley on May 25, 2015.

The family had travelled to London the day before, but their team were defeated 2-0 by Norwich City, who were promoted to the Premier League.

McKenna Sr. told police he had nine beers that day and intervened outside a pub when his son attacked his cousin Sam just before midnight.

He says his son then turned on him and McKenna Sr.’s father, Derek, 65, had to step in. “He attacked me and his grandad had to drag him off.

Jaw Break: Mark McKenna Jr.

“I think I hit him back for hitting me, the top of his head, it was not hard. I was angry for him attacking me, there was no need for it.

“He’s got anger issues. I was pissed off at him. He spoiled it for all of us.”

Earlier McKenna Jr. reluctantly gave evidence and confirmed he had a fight in Middlesbrough on the eve of the trip that left his face swollen.

He had five or six cans of beer before the match and was angry with Sam. “He was winding me up and intimidating me, saying he was going to boot some respect into me.”

McKenna Jr. has three fights with Sam on the matchday, decking him twice and wanted to continue brawling when his father split them up.

He admitted punching his father, almost knocking him over, and “squaring up” as his dad tried to lead him away.

“I wanted him to get out of the way to get to Sam,” McKenna Jr. told the jury, admitting he was ready to strike his father again.

A passing police officer watched the confrontation and witnessed McKenna Sr. decking his son with a single blow.

He was taken to Northwick Park Hospital for treatment to a double jaw fracture.

West Ham Fan Tweeted "Stick Your Head In The Oven" To Jewish Holocaust Survivor After Spurs Defeat

'Oven' Tweet: Harding

A drunken West Ham United football fan tweeted the founder of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust: “Stick your head in the oven like the jew you are,” following a defeat to Spurs.

Mark Harding, 48, communicated the sick tweet to 72 year-old Hungarian-born survivor Agnes Grunwald-Spier, who left “upset” and “offended.”

She survived the Nazi’s Budapest Ghetto, where she was sent with her mother in November, 1944, moving to the UK three years later after the murder of her father in Auschwitz.

She is an MBE and was on the Board of Deputies of British Jews for fifteen years and has an MA in Holocaust Studies from Sheffield University.

Harding, of Charlotte Street, Walsall pleaded guilty to sending a tweet of an indecent or offensive nature for the purpose of causing distress or anxiety on November 19, last year.

Last week he was sentenced to eighteen weeks imprisonment, suspended for twelve months and ordered to complete 60 hours community service work.

He also followed up with a secondary tweet to the mother-of-three of: “Hope you, your wife (corr) and kids die in a freak car accident.”

Survivor: Agnes Meeting Charles & Camilla 

Prosecutor Miss Stella Waata told Hendon Magistrates Court: “This is religiously or racially-aggravated and came from the twitter account of ‘Hammer68’ that belongs to Mr. Harding.

“She is a jew and found the tweet to be anti-semitic. She was upset and offended.

“She was a baby in Hungary during the holocaust, her family suffered in the holocaust. Her father was killed Auschwitz, he was probably gassed.

“She does not understand how anyone can write such things and wants Mr. Harding to know how offensive it is to a jewish person.”

Harding denies targeting Mrs Grunwald-Spier, claiming he got caught up in post-match online “banter” with Tottenham Hotspur football fans after they beat his team 3-2.

The north London club is well-known for having a large contingent of jewish supporters.

Fork-lift driver Harding gave himself up to police and told them he had consumed six pints while watching the match in a pub near his mother’s Evesham home.

“He was upset his team had lost and when he returned to his mother’s home continued drinking,” explained Ms Waata.

“He said he got involved in banter with a lot of Tottenham fans, who were abusive to him and he said it was football banter and did not mean any offence.

“He said he did not remember sending the tweet.”

Harding’s lawyer Ms Sarj Patel told the court: “He’s now lost his good character and it is his first ever time in court and he has found it quite distressing and blames himself for that.

“He is unfortunately wrapped up in football culture and is a West Ham supporter.

“He was quite upset West Ham had lost, he follows them religiously and took to twitter and all the banter started.

“He was abused by numerous people, Tottenham fans, and got caught up in it and gave as good as he got.

“This was not an attack on this person, he did not know who that person was.

“It was a very, very silly comment he tells me. It was more reckless than with any intent and he is totally ashamed by this.

“He want to apologise to this lady through me. It was not a direct attack on her, but football banter that got out of control.”

Magistrate Mr. Harvey Simons told Harding: “The nature of the message was particularly hurtful and particularly obnoxious, causing offence to the victim and potentially to other followers and is aggravated by the racial element.”

Harding was also ordered to pay £85 costs, a £115 victim surcharge and £150 compensation to Mrs Grunwald-Spier.

Rock Chick Groped At Live Venue

A young student, who groped a woman at a popular live rock venue, has been fined.

Nathan Treveil, 22, of Sinclair Road, Hartlepool attended Camden Underworld in north London last year.

He was charged with sexually assaulting the woman by touching her without consent on November 6.

Treveil did not fight the case and pleaded guilty at Highbury Corner Magistrates Court.

He was fined £650 and ordered to pay the victim £150 compensation, plus an additional victim surcharge of £65.

Local Sex Pest Banned From ASDA

Banned: ASDA, Belvedere

A sex pest had been banned from his local branch of ASDA after groping a woman in the store.

Chris Mulry, 37, of Regents Square, Belvedere, Kent fought the case throughout, but was convicted after a trial.

He was charged with sexual assault on a female on September 16, last year at ASDA, Station Road, Belvedere by intentional touching when she did not consent.

Mulry was convicted at Bexley Magistrates Court.

He was placed on a twelve-months probation and ordered to complete 120 hours community service.

Mulry must also comply with a two-year restraining order, which prohibits him going to the store, and pay £500 costs and an £85 victim surcharge.

999 Caller Nicked For Racist Slurs

A 999 emergency caller, accused of using the racist term “black nigger” when talking to the female handler at the other end of the line, has been fined.

Sean Hayes, 23, of Mermaid Tower, Abinger Grove, Deptford pleaded guilty when he appeared at Bromley Magistrates Court.

He was charged with one count of racially or religiously aggravated harassment on February 15 by repeatedly using the term while speaking to the 999 handler.

Hayes was fined £120, with £85 costs and ordered to pay a £30 victim surcharge.

NOT GUILTY: Harrods Style Advisor Cleared Of Expressing Macabre Sense Of Humour

Innocent: Marconi

A young Harrods style advisor, accused of harassing a female Louis Vuitton colleague with macabre ‘throat slitting’ humour and dark images has been cleared.

Giacomo Marcolin, 21, worked in the Knightsbridge department store alongside Tabitha Gray, who claimed he enjoyed boasting about wanting to kill people.

Italian Marcolin, of The Hale, Tottenham always insisted his comments were in fun and a shoe murder clip was from a popular movie. 

He was found not guilty of the harassment between July 1 and September 27, last year of Tabitha Elise Gray by repeated contact, making threats to kill others and her and showing her violent video clips.

He is now a sales consultant and style advisor at Liberty, having previously worked for luxury brand Kurt Geiger.

He claims he was innocently quoting lines from U.S. tv show ‘American Horror Stories’ and the shoe murder clip was from horror movie ‘True Blood’.

“On the first day I met him I sensed there was something different. He’s an interesting character, not like anyone I’ve met before,” Ms Gray told Hammersmith Magistrates Court last week.

Tabitha leaving court

“We were in the back of house at Louis Vuitton and he expressed he wanted to commit the crime of killing people.

“He knew that I was someone who was frightened easily and took advantage of that. He said he would slit my throat last so he could see my reaction.”

She told the court Marcolin also showed her a violent horror movie clip on the department’s computer. “It was someone being beaten with a heel and that made me uncomfortable and he knew it made me uncomfortable.

“I left the stock room and from that moment onwards we did not remain the friends we were prior to that.

“He showed me a photo on his phone he had taken of a dead fox in the road. He showed no remorse he was enjoying he had this dead fox to show people.

“I believe he enjoyed it. It was something he liked looking at.”

She said she reported him to management after he told her: “You will be” when she said sorry for stepping on his foot.

“He said: ‘It’s not a threat, it’s a promise,’ and that was the final straw.”

Prosecutor Mr. Robert Simpson told the court: “The conduct is making various threatening comments about slitting peoples throats and showing two clips.

“One was of a fox lying dead in the road and the other was a girl being beaten to death with a shoe.” 

In her statement to police Ms Gray reported Marcolin saying: “I would like to kill everyone.”

“He was not saying it as a joke,” she told the court. “I was shocked that he would say that.”

After reporting Marcolin he was suspended and she told police: “I have not been able to sleep well since he was suspended in case he wanted to hurt me.”

She told the magistrates: “I was genuinely worried he would come back with a vengeance. That he would have more anger.

“I started using different doors at Harrods, coming and going from work. I was on high alert.”

Ms Gray’s Louis Vuitton colleague Asim Shuja told the court he overheard Marcolin chatting to her. “It was along the lines of Giacomo committing mass murder, which got my attention.

“It was really uncomfortable for me to hear someone talking like this. I was shocked and Tabitha was very shocked as well.”

Marcolin told the court he accidentally revealed the dead fox image when showing Ms Gray pictures of his new studio flat and was not seriously making death threats.

“I said it not in a way I meant it. I have not killed anyone up to now and see no reason why I should.

“She never gave any sign of her feeling harassed. She did not seem shocked or anything, I thought she understood I was joking.”

He showed her the shoe clip because the murder weapon was similar to footwear they sold at Harrods, said Marcolin and he joked about Tabitha doing the same thing to her ex-boyfriend’s new girl.

“Her ex-boyfriend’s new girlfriend was on Italian Big Brother and she obviously wasn’t over it. 

“The girl that killed the other girl is blond and I said: ‘Imagine you doing that to her.’

“I don’t spend my time talking about killing people or dead people,” he insisted.

Stalker Arrived For Hotel Date With Selfridges Beauty Armed With Gun And Knife

A stalker arrived for a hotel internet date with a female Selfridges employee he pursued online armed with a fake handgun and knife.

Suhayl Ali, 28, was met by police officers, who searched and arrested him, after the terrified victim tipped-off police about the meet up.

He had arrived at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Beaconsfield expecting to meet the young woman, who he had bombarded with provocative email messages, despite her demands to stop.

Ali, of Headley Way, Headington, Oxford pleaded guilty to stalking the woman by continuously emailing her between November 20 and December 9, last year.

He also admitted possessing an imitation firearm and the knife in a public place on December 9.

Ms Rasouli reported Ali at Uxbridge Police Station after receiving his unsolicited messages, which caused her “huge concern.”

He also tried to meet her face-to-face by visiting the Oxford Street department store.

Hillingdon CID say they identified Ali as a “potential risk” and the Borough Tasking Unit encouraged Ms Rasouli to agree to the date so they could arrest him.

At Uxbridge Magistrates Court Ali was sentenced to six weeks imprisonment, suspended for twelve months and ordered to complete 160 hours community service work for stalking Ms Rasouli, plus up to twenty-five days of rehab.

He was fined £300 for possessing the firearm and £500 for the knife and was ordered to pay £85 costs and a £115 victim surcharge.

Ali was also made subject to an indefinite restraining order, prohibiting him from contacting the victim and visiting Selfridges.

Girlfriend Admits Stalking Ex After Painful Split

A hair stylist, who endured a painful break-up with her boyfriend, has been fined for stalking him by showing up at his workplace and home city.

Daniela Lewis, 28, of Oakways, Greenwich also continuously phoned and texted Tom Rawsthorn, who conceded to police he probably “led her on.”

She pleaded guilty at Wimbledon Magistrates Court to stalking Tom between January 1 and April 8, but says in reality her behaviour was restricted to the months of March and April.

Prosecutor Miss Roz Wordell told the court: “They were in a relationship that came to and end and the complainant did not want to see her anymore and it appears she did not take no for an answer.”

They met when working together in August, 2014 and were a couple in 2015.

“She said she didn't want to be with him if he didn't love her and he said he did not love her.”

When travelling to his home city of Lincoln Lewis phoned Tom and then turned up herself.

In April, last year they agreed to be just good friends, but then got back together, the court heard.

“There were a lot of arguments and then they split up again,” explained Miss Wordell. “He said he did not want a relationship, but it fell on deaf ears although he admits he led her on.

“She turned up unannounced at his workplace and home and when he told her to go away it ended up in an argument.”

Eventually Tom reported her at Wimbledon Police Station.

“Over the phone he told her to stop, but she refused to talk to the police and began crying on the phone and then went to the police station while Mr. Rawsthorn was there.

The court heard in January the couple enjoyed a nine-day holiday in Japan and were still intimate in the middle of February.

Lewis's lawyer told the court she needed “emotional support” at the time and has made no contact with her ex since she was arrested and charged.

She spent three days in police custody before being bailed by magistrates during her fist court appearance.

Lewis was fined £200, with £85 costs and ordered to pay a £30 victim surcharge.

Hedge Fund Boss Had Green Beans Demands Says Ex-Wife

Not Guilty Plea: Mitchinson

The wife of a hedge fund boss, who claims she was a prisoner in their Knightsbridge home, revealed her husband demanded his green beans be neatly laid out at dinner time.

Former Deutsche Bank derivatives expert Guy Mitchinson, 38, ran Castilium Capital with ex-Merrill Lynch trader Alicia Vidler, 37, who says she was “terrified” of her violent husband.

“He became more fixated on the way certain things were done,” she told the Isleworth Crown Court jury. 

“If I put green beans sloppily on a plate he would ask how I could feed any children we had and that I’d be a bad mother.

“I was supposed to chop each end and line them up neatly on a plate. He said he was working so hard the least I could do was arrange the beans properly.”

The court heard Mitchinson demanded the pair discuss work into the early hours, often demanding food around midnight, saying: “If you loved me you’d be cooking me something.”

Alicia said: “It was a nightmare. I’d beg and plead to go to bed and he would try and drag me back downstairs.”

She said her husband formulated a specific verbal framework that she had to use before he accepted any apology from her.

“I had to stare into his eyes and say: ‘I really understand I cannot behave like this’ give him a kiss on the cheek and a hug.”

She said the first assault at their £3.4m home in First Street was in January, last year, made worse due to her painful arthritic condition.

“He grabbed my right wrist because I was not paying any attention to him and it caused incredible pain.

Alicia Claims She Was A 'Prisoner'

“I dug my nails in and drew blood on his wrist and he screamed and shouted more obscenities and when he slammed the bedroom door while I was holding it the handle came apart.

“I had got sick of his screaming and wanted to leave the bedroom. I was terrified, stunned, I had never seen him lose his temper that way.

“I was scared of him and decided to make a run for it, but he got hold of my handbag to stop me leaving and broke the handle then barricaded himself in front of the internal door.

“I tried to barge past him and he threw me against a wall and then took to kicking my legs with his shoes and said: ‘Why are you trying to ruin our marriage? Why don’t you do what I ask.’

“I was left with bruises on my legs and my arms. The pointy part of his shoe got under my kneecap, that was pretty painful.”

Alicia was an equity derivatives trader with Deutsche Bank in Sydney before moving to the UK, where she studied for a PhD in mathematics at Imperial College.

Privately-educated Alicia, who attended Sydney’s Ascham school, founded Mayfair’s Castilium Capital on January 19, 2012, with Mitchinson.

“He would say I had: ’Shit for brains’, that was one of his favourites and that I was a retard and that I was going to drive both of us off a cliff, another phrase he liked.”

She said Mitchinson would regularly drag her out of bed by her ankles. “It would be like a terrible tantrum, but he is six feet four and twice my weight.”

The two July assaults were either side of a ‘Book of Mormon’ afternoon matinee, she explained. “He pushed a big round plate into me, just under my rib cage and kept stabbing me.

“I kept moving back until I hit my head on the brick wall. He was bright red and apoplectic and had his nose against my nose screaming.

“I thought he was going to put his head through my skull and he then slammed me against the side.”

There was another row after they got a taxi home. “He was screaming: ‘How dare you make me get a cab when we are out with your friends and you make me get the bus to work.’

“He was tapping my forehead with a glass and saying: ‘Why don’t you listen to me?’”

Alicia says he then smashed the glass tumbler over her head and she spent the next five hours trying to convince him she needed to go to hospital.

“I was black and blue the next morning. I’d never seen bruises like that in my life, from my left shoulder to the elbow and my right arm had round small bruises where he grabbed me.

“Guy said the bruises were very regrettable and we needed to move forward together and I should not have made him that angry.”

The court heard Mitchinson asked her to wear long sleeves. “He did not want anyone to see the bruises and said it would be the end of our marriage, our business, there would be no children and it would be the end of him.”

Asked why she did not call the police earlier she said: “I did not want to punish him, I did not want to get him into trouble, I just wanted to leave.”

She claimed her husband locked her passport in a safe and she could not smuggle her arthritic medication out of the house.

“It needs to stay refrigerated and is very bulky and I could not leave without it.

“He would check my bag, check how big it was and what was in it and even took to following me into ladies bathrooms.

“He only let me go to see my doctor after I swore I wouldn’t ruin our marriage by telling my GP about the bruises.

“I don’t bruise easily and since I left Guy I have not had a single bruise on me.” 

Mitchinson, of Holmdale Road, West Hampstead has pleaded not guilty to one count of controlling or coercive behaviour between January 1 and July 23, last year.

He also denies three counts of assaulting Ms Vidler at their home address on dates between January 10 and July 16.

Trial continues……….   

Hedge Fund Boss Denies Wife's Claims Of Bullying And Assaults

Mitchinson: Denies Claims

The terrified wife of a hedge fund boss, who denies “systematically bullying” her at their Knightsbridge home, says he smashed a glass over her head during yet another row.

Former Deutsche Bank derivatives expert Guy Mitchinson, 38, ran Castilium Capital with ex-Merrill Lynch trader Alicia Vidler, 37, who says she was a prisoner of her violent husband.

Isleworth Crown Court heard Mitchinson ignored Alicia’s painful arthritic condition as she rested at their £3.4m home, beating her with a pillow as she rolled herself into a ball.

“The next thing he smashed a glass on my head and it smashed everywhere, it was the crown of my head and there was glass in my hair and I could feel blood on my head.

“I made a run for it and got the front door open and saw the beautiful blue sky and houses, but he got me by the hand and swung me back into the house.

“I spent the next five hours trying to get past him, that’s what I was fixated on,” she added. “He said: ‘I’ll not let you do this to our marriage.’

“He said: ’No one is coming to rescue you.’ I begged twenty or thirty times to go to hospital and thought about climbing out the bathroom window, but there is an eighteen foot drop.”

Prosecutor Miss Caroline Paul told the jury: “This trial is about a man systematically bullying his wife in order to control her and he became more controlling and violent between January and July, last year.

“His wife became his virtual prisoner and he began to interfere with her medical care, forcing her into taking a course of medication when the the side effects were severe.

“He wanted her to put more hours into the business when she was sick and in a wheelchair and to travel abroad when unwell.

"Terrified": Alicia

“He insisted on knowing her precise movements and would call her three to four times an hour to check in on her and insisted knowing all the passwords to her electronic devices.”

Alicia was an equity derivatives trader with Deutsche Bank in Sydney before moving to the UK, where she studied for a PhD in mathematics at Imperial College.

Privately-educated Alicia, who attended Sydney’s Ascham school, founded Mayfair’s Castilium Capital on January 19, 2012, with Mitchinson and the couple shared a home in First Street.

She told the trial: “He’d tell me before business meetings: ‘You’re going to have to get through this. You’re probably going to be crippled for life so you have to make this work.’

“Guy did not like me being seen with crutches or a walking stick and I’d leave them at reception. Flying makes it much worse, it’s very painful on the plane.”

The couple married in July, 2014, but Alicia said there were problems from the start. 

“He hated me seeing my friends. I realised in a couple of months he always had a reason for me not to see my friends.

“He started asking for the passwords to every electronic device I had. He’d literally take them of me.

“He smashed my iPad screen because he’d snatched it out of my hand because he thought I was fidgeting with it and not paying attention to what he was saying and my BlackBerry got dented because of all the grabbing.

Not Guilty Plea: Mitchinson

“It terrified me, it gave me no privacy. I felt I was being monitored, my personal thoughts are on them, my bank account details.

“I couldn’t get away from him, I couldn’t think straight. It scared me in the end and made me feel incredibly stressed.”

Mitchinson claims her allegations are invented and simply a way of getting out of the marriage and failing business partnership.

“His aggressive behaviour started escalating and he would grab her wrists and ankles, causing great pain due to her arthritis,” explained Miss Paul.

“He would rip pillows and duvets away when she was trying to rest to cause her pain and to prevent her sleeping. She used the pillows to support her neck.”

During one row she tried to leave, the jury were told. “Mr. Mitchinson slammed the door with such force the handle detached and she was fearful and afraid for her safety.

“He pulled her back by her handbag strap, blocked the doorway and slammed her against the wall and repeatedly kicked her in the legs, causing bruising to her elbows and knees.”

Alicia says the attack only halted when her husband was overcome with emotion. “He broke down and threatened to kill himself,” said Miss Paul.

There was another row before a matinee theatre trip with friends. “Mr. Mitchinson jabbed her in the stomach with a dinner plate, grabbed her by the arm and pushed her against the wall screaming insults.”

Marital Home Near Harrods

The row continued when they returned home the court heard: “He attacked her with a pillow and she was in extreme pain and asked him to stop.

“She swung a glass at him and he struck her over the head with a tumbler, causing it to break and cut her head.”

Alicia told her GP on July 23 and Mitchinson was arrested and questioned. “He said she was intoxicated during the theatre outing and she threw the glass at him and he had to restrain her.”

Miss Paul told the jury: “He sought to control her whole life, her work, her sleep pattern her social life. She was, in effect, her husband’s prisoner.” 

Mitchinson, of Holmdale Road, West Hampstead has pleaded not guilty to one count of controlling or coercive behaviour between January 1 and July 23, last year.

He also denies three counts of assaulting Ms Vidler at their home address on dates between January 10 and July 16.

He says the demise of Castilium prompted Alicia’s police complaint, which is “fabricated and exaggerated.”

Trial continues……….