Gin Heir Sir Walter Gavin Gilbey Charged With Assaulting His Elderly Mother

The heir to the world-famous Gilbey gin empire has appeared in court accused of assaulting his elderly mother when visiting her countryside home.

Sir Walter Gavin Gilbey, 68, says she fell over when left alone in the room and will return to court to fight the case next year.

He is charged with assaulting Lady Elizabeth Gilbey, 95, at her £950,000 property, Little Paddock, Bury, Pulborough on August 26 when visiting from his home in the Scottish Highlands.

Sir Walter, of Torwood, Stafford Road, Dornoch gave police a prepared statement when quizzed over the allegation and answered all their questions “no comment.”

He says his mother's eyesight is poor and they have had rows over his objections to her continuing to drive.

Prosecutor Miss Melanie Wotton told Crawley Magistrates Court: “She doesn't want any contact with him at all. She said specifically to the officer she is scared of him.”

Sir Walter continues to handle his mother's money and signs cheques on her behalf and his lawyer told the court: “He fears for his mother's finances because he believes his sister is pulling strings behind the scenes.”

The lawyer said his client endures a “very poor relationship” with sister Camilla Elizabeth Frederick, 64, a mother-of-two.

“The sister has contacted the police wishing bail conditions of non-contact,” said Miss Wotton.

District Judge Christopher James imposed conditional bail “to prevent further offences and interference with witnesses” ordering Sir Walter not to visit his mother's home or contact her, except via solicitors.

He is due to stand trial at Horsham Magistrates Court on February 9.

Sir Walter is the 4^th Baronet of The Gilbey Baronetcy and the title's seat is Elsenham Hall, Essex.

The title was created on September 4, 1893 for the wine merchant, stock-breeder, agriculturalist and philanthropist Walter Gilbey.

He was chairman and co-founder of W & A Gilbey, established in 1857 a wine merchants and distillers most famous for London dry gin.

The brand is now owned by industry giants Diageo.

Twice-divorced Sir Walter in known by his middle name Gavin and the Eton-educated businessman was a director of Gilbey's International Inc between 1986 and 1992.

He succeeded as fourth Baronet on October 29, 1991. 

Sir Samuel Brittan's Ex-Assistant Jumps Bail On Theft And Fraud Charges

Sir Samuel

An assistant to veteran business journalist Sir Samuel Brittan, charged with stealing from and defrauding him of thousands of pounds, has had a warrant issued for her arrest.

Michelle Brathwaite, 46, of Whitstable House, Silchester Road, North Kensington, failed to attend City of London Magistrates Court for the second time.

Sir Samuel, 83, is the elder brother of the late Sir Leon Brittan, who died in January, 2015 aged seventy-five and was the former Home Secretary to Margaret Thatcher.

He was the first economics correspondent for the Financial Times, where he still writes a column and was the economics editor at The Observer.

Cambridge graduate Sir Samuel is also a member of the Academic Advisory Council of the Global Warming Policy Foundation. 

Brathwaite was summonsed on a charge of fraud by abuse of position between August 1, 2016 and April 30, in that as a trusted friend and helper withdrew and transferred sums of money from Sir Samuel’s Coutts & Co. bank account to make a gain, namely £93,500.

She also faces two counts of fraud by false representation on dates between August 1, 2016 and April 7, firstly that she submitted a document that she had third party payment authorisation to Sir Samuel’s American Express bank account with intent to make a gain, namely £96,000.

Secondly that she had permission to use Sir Samuel’s American Express card to pay for goods and services to make a gain, namely £96,000.

Brathwaite is also charged with stealing £91,000 from Sir Samuel between April 1 and 30, this year.

The case had been adjourned after Brathwaite claimed she was too ill to attend having suffered a stroke earlier this month.

Starbucks Toilet Perv Pictured On His Own Hidden Camera

Caught On Camera: Dines

A disgraced church-going pervert, caught filming himself installing a secret spy camera in a Starbucks toilet, was arrested in front of law firm colleagues with a bag full of ladies underwear.

Antony George Dines, 31, of Shortlands Road, Kingston-upon-Thames knew he had been identified in a Scotland Yard appeal after accidentally recording himself installing the ceiling device.

Staff at solicitors Lyons Davidson recognised him and called the police, who also found a quantity of small cameras along with the underwear in a rucksack hidden under his desk.

He appeared in custody at Camberwell Green Magistrates Court on Monday and pleaded guilty to four counts of voyeurism.

He was bailed for sentencing on December 6.

Bespectacled Dines, wearing a dark pullover and jeans, spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth, address and nationality and enter his pleas.

He pleaded guilty to one count of voyeurism in that on or before November 22, last year he installed equipment in Starbucks and a second count of voyeurism that he recorded a person doing a private act for sexual gratification.

Dines' Secret Camera

He is also similarly pleaded guilty to two counts of voyeurism in relation to the third-floor ladies toilets at 87 Burlington Road, Kingston in that he installed equipment and recorded a person doing a private act for sexual gratification on or before the same date.

He told police he installed the Starbucks camera in February, last year and spied on the toilet users as he sat inside, posing as a customer, having already used it at his workplace.

Dines was a Facilities and General Office Assistant, employed by the New Malden firm and was responsible for health and safety compliance and environmental management.

He is a graduate of Kingston University with a degree in Human Resource Management.

Dines, whose parents were in court to support him, formerly worked at Kingston Business School and at Cornerstone Church, Kingston as an administrator.

He is an active Christian in the south-west London area and continues to be a regular and speaker at Cornerstone Church.

Prosecutor Mr. George Crivelli told the court: “The venue for these offences was Starbucks in Vauxhall in a one-customer toilet that is also a disabled toilet.”

It was on November 22, last year that media manager Ricci Acari, 34, discovered the camera. 

“A customer noticed a light shining from something above the ceiling grate. Upon closer investigation this customer could see a camera and stood on the toilet and touched the device and reported it to Starbucks staff, who called the police.”

Police were unable to identify any DNA traces on the camera, but fortunately Dines had filmed himself.

“On one piece of film footage a gentleman is seen installing the camera in the toilet and his screwdriver is in his hand and he is fiddling about.

Dines Was Arrested At Work

“He has filmed himself and there is a good likeness from the camera.”

Dines is recorded wiping his footprints clean from the toilet seat and police estimate there were 1-24 recordings of toilet users.

“The image of the gentleman was circulated and police were contacted by members of staff at the firm where the defendant works.

“When police attended New Malden Business Centre on November twenty-four a rucksack was found under the defendant’s desk.

“He tried to distance himself from the bag and said it was not his and inside were cameras, electrical tape, a small screwdriver and nine pairs of women’s underwear in a blue plastic bag.”

Dines’ home was also searched and a large quantity of mini-cameras, memory sticks and other media storage devices were seized.

Mr. Crivelli said Dines was questioned twice at Brixton Police Station. “He fully admitted placing the camera in February 2016. placing it there and remaining in Starbucks watching people using the toilet.

“He said he had a fetish for watching women urinate. He said he placed the camera in his own workplace before taking it to Starbucks to record women.

“He had placed it on the third floor at work because there were more women up there and it was voice-activated.”

Dines claimed the underwear was his girlfriend’s, but produced no evidence to back this up and police also found two mini-cameras disguised as car keys.

He had bought most of the equipment online at Amazon.

“He said he had the rucksack full of cameras with him because he was aware of the press release with his image on it and intended to throw away those items.”  

Dines describes himself as “reliable, hard-working and flexible” on his online professional profile.

His lawyer Mr. Graeme Rothwell told the court: “Through an abundance of shame and embarrassment he has forwarded these pleas today.”

District Judge Karen Hammond bailed the first-time offender on condition he does not possess a recording device or enter premises where there are public toilets.

“I’m going to need a report. The starting point for sentencing is a high-level community order.”

Shop Assistant Admits Money Laundering

Inner London Crown Court 

A young Croydon shop assistant had admitted allowing over £80,000 in criminal cash to be laundered through her bank account.

Marta Kotowska, 26, of Lower Addiscombe Road appeared at Inner London Crown Court, where she will return for sentencing on December 22.

She pleaded guilty to two counts of acquiring criminal property on dates between October 30 and December 12, 2014, namely £67,432.58p and £19,200.

The first-time offender described her own behaviour as “very foolish and opportunistic”.

Kotowska claims she received a very small financial reward for laundering the loot.

She was bailed for a probation report and was told by the 
judge: “Clearly the offence does cross the custody threshold. The defendant should be under no illusions and there are no promises.”

Accountant's £10K Rolex Ruse Against Hollywood Producers

An accountant with a Camden-based movie production company, involved in a string of Hollywood hits, used their money to order a £10,000 Rolex during a bitter bonus dispute.

Nicola Hodson, 42, was even offered £20,000 the day before by The Fyzz Facility, but still proceeded to order the watch using the company’s credit card.

The company also has a Los Angeles office and has invested over £200m in more than 200 feature films over the last seven years.

These include Wind River, starring Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen; Martin Scorsese’s Silence, starring Liam Neeson; Shock and Awe directed by Rob Reiner and starring Woody Harrelson and The foreigner, starring Pierce Brosnan and Jackie Chan.

Hodson, of Victoria Barracks, Sheet Street, Windsor pleaded guilty to one count of fraud by dishonest abuse of position on January 29, last year, namely attempted to gain the £10,714.90 Rolex. 

Blackfriars Crown Court heard she cancelled the transaction and never received the watch, but was dismissed when the company discovered the fraud.

Hodson was sentenced to nine months imprisonment, suspended for twelve months and ordered to complete 40 hours community service and pay £500 costs.

“It beggars belief that you were so stupid to use their card to buy a ten thousand pound Rolex watch the day after they offered you a twenty thousand pound severance,”  Recorder Dafydd Enoch QC told her.

Hodson had always fought the case and eventually admitted her responsibility on the day of her trial.

“At the eleventh hour you pleaded guilty to the charge of fraud. There was obviously history to it that maybe made you think you were entitled to a certain amount of money from the company.

“What you did do was cross the line from honest negotiation to dishonest appropriation and you have admitted fraud on this company.

“Normally when someone steals from the company they work for that person goes to prison, but this was a misguided attempt to sort out negotiations not going your way.

“You cancelled the transaction as soon as you set it up. You realised soon after that you did wrong.

“You knew full well that you were acting dishonestly.”

Off-Duty BA Employee Sentenced For Molesting Snoozing Passenger On Flight To Bangkok

Don't Speak

A drunken off-duty British Airways cabin crew manager, who twice groped a snoozing male business-class passenger between the legs on a long-haul flight to Bangkok, has been placed on probation.

Paul Speak, 47, “clocked” the young man, who was travelling alone, and pounced as he dozed in the darkened cabin while wearing an eye mask.

The second time he was fondled the victim grabbed Speak’s hand and shouted: “What the f*** are you doing? Stay away.”

Speak, of Hawkes close, Langley, Slough was found guilty by an Isleworth Crown Court jury of one count of sexual assault on October 12, last year.

He received a twelve-month community order, which includes 160 hours community service work, and must pay £400 costs.

Speak must also sign the sex offenders register for five years.

Recorder Bruce Houlder QC told Speak: “Whilst the internal aircraft light was dimmed and while you thought the complainant was asleep you twice moved your hand up his leg and touched his penis over clothing.

“The touching appears to be brief and the second time the passenger complained to the crew and you remained in  a seat reserved for crew for the remainder of the flight.

“Fortunately for you it was reported to the UK police rather than the police in Thailand.

“You were a manger with British Airways, you must have been aware of the gravity of the offence you were committing and the staff knew who you were.

“You did falsely suggest the complainant was mistaken in that you touched him and you have not expressed remorse of any kind.”

Speak is now unemployed after BA sacked him after an internal disciplinary hearing before the trial. 

The victim told the jury he caught Speak looking at him soon after boarding. “It was a stare straight to me and a smile.”

He recalled the touches as he dozed in his seat. “The first time was the feeling of a light breeze on my thigh.

“I felt it again and saw the same guy walking back to his seat. “It was a light touch on my thigh, the inner thigh.

“Something happened again and I caught the hand. It was in the crotch area.”

The passenger says his penis was touched above his clothing.

“He mumbled and stumbled. I saw embarrassment on his face, shocked that he had been caught.

“I think that he might have been drunk.”

Prosecutor Miss Kathy Hirst told the jury: “The complainant, who was travelling alone, noticed another gentleman in a distinctive pink shirt walked down the aisle and ‘clocked’ him.

“There was eye-contact and he held his gaze.”

She said the the first incident occurred four hours after taking off from Heathrow, with Speak, a BA cabin crew employee, using his staff points to fly.

“On two occasions the complainant says he was touched above clothing on his penis.

“He was woken by someone running his hand over his thigh area, near his crotch.

“He raised his eye mask and saw the man in the pink shirt retreating.

“It happened again forty minutes later. The hand went up towards his waistband and it seemed to be prolonged.

“He saw the same man in the pink shirt walking up the aisle.”

The passenger reported Speak to the cabin crew and a member of staff spoke to the defendant.

“It was obvious to her he was drunk and she told him a complaint had been made.

“His eyes rolled and he fainted and fell to the floor.”

Speak, who denied touching the passenger, was questioned by police on his return to the UK.

“He disputed he assaulted the complainant and accepted he was wearing a pink shirt.

“He said he forgot to take his medication for high blood pressure and had a few drinks before take-off and took a sleeping pill.”

Today his lawyer Mr. Jake Taylor told the court: “He had a long and distinguished career at BA and finds himself in a large amount of debt.

“Having lost his job he will lose his property and is relocating to live with his parents.

“After a period of reflection he will be a benefit to society one more.”

Foreign Exchange Dealer Jailed For Defrauding Investors Of £400K

Palacios-Serna Was Jailed At Blackfriars Crown Court

A foreign exchange dealer, who defrauded investors as his business struggled, is starting a four-year prison sentence.

Andres Palacios-Serna, 37, of Mayton Street, Holloway was responsible for customers suffering losses of £400,000, including an elderly couple's entire life savings.

He initially fought the case, but eventually pleaded guilty on the day of his trial to three offences committed between 2011 and 2014.

Blackfriars Crown Court heard he took money from the victims, promising to return it soon and the sentencing judge told Palacios-Serna: “It was fraudulent and dishonest. The money was rapidly dispersed elsewhere.

“You were dishonest. You did not invest it at all. Substantial sums of money were used to pay existing creditors.

“You took money to keep a misguided business afloat and pay creditors. You abused a position of trust and all the counts concern individuals that trusted you with their money.

“The savings of a retired couple were used. The loss of such substantial amounts for the elderly couple is grievous for them.”

Palacios-Serna was also disqualified from being a Company Director for eight years.

Somalian Refugee Jailed For "Animalistic" Rape Of Young Student

A Somalian refugee, who ended up working at Heathrow Airport’s Cafe Nero, has been jailed for nine years for his “animalistic” rape bid of a drunken student, who had passed-out on his bed.

Mogadishu-born Abdourahman Amadeo, 24, and his family reached Italy and once that country gave him citizenship he moved to the UK under freedom of  movement rules.

After the late-night attack on the 22 year-old he shouted: “Get this ho out of my bed.”

He was unanimously convicted by an Isleworth Crown Court jury of the attempted rape of the young woman at his home in Connaught Avenue, Hounslow on December 13, 2015.

The victim and a female friend had partied at the nearby Club K and believed they were getting a lift home from one of Amadeo’s pal’s when they were taken to the address at 4.30am.

“You tried to rape a woman you barely knew. She was inert, there was no speech or movement,” Recorder Sallie Bennett-Jenkins QC told the first-time offender.

“The fact you sought to have sex with her beggars belief and can only be described as animalistic.

“Your thoughts are obvious through your words of: ‘Get this ho’ slang for whore, ‘Out of my bed.

“You took your own selfish and animalistic sexual satisfaction from her.”

The prosecution relied largely on the victim’s friend’s evidence even though she had been removed from the bedroom on Amadeo’s orders.

“There was a specific targeting here of a vulnerable victim. She was obviously under the influence of alcohol to a great extent.

“She could not walk and her incapacitation due to alcohol makes her a person of particular vulnerability,” added Recorder Bennett-Jenkins.

“It was an attempted rape committed in the most callous of circumstances.

“She was enjoying an evening out with friends. She did consume alcohol and there is no criticism of her in this respect.

“We have CCTV footage and at 4.30am we can see she was extremely vulnerable, she was falling over, she could barely stand and fell, cutting her legs, on the way to your home.

“In your room she either fell asleep or passed into unconsciousness and is spared the recollection of what you did to her, without her consent, yet this is the thing that haunts her.

“A second man took her friend out of the bedroom after you spoke to him in a foreign language and whatever was said you were left in the room with this sleeping woman.

“You took that chance to prey upon this young woman who was obviously unable to give consent to any sexual conduct.

“You should be thoroughly utterly disgusted with your conduct. You tried to rape a woman you barely knew.”

The victim reported the attack to police and took anti-HIV drugs. “She was and is tortured by what happened to her.

“When you were arrested you denied knowing her and said her friend was lying.”

Amedeo was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register for life.

Selfridges Beauty Salon Wrecked By Crooked Book Keeper During £116K Fraud

Dishonest: Gittens

A “devious and calculating” bookkeeper, who wrecked the Selfridges business of a beauty entrepreneur during a £116,000 fraud, has been jailed.

Thelma Gittens, 54, forged invoices and accounts and even tried to buy the failing company in a cut-price deal from creditors with the money she swindled. 

As luxury beauty salon Groom London Ltd. - which charged customers up to £175 an hour - floundered she financed a “lavish” party in her native Manila, which was posted on youtube.

Gittens, of Montgomery House, Harrow Road, Paddington received three years and eight months imprisonment at Blackfriars Crown Court.

She pleaded guilty to one count of fraud by abuse of position between January 1, 2013 and February 28, this year.

Her former boss, Susan Baddeley, 47, broke down in tears as she told the court how Gittens’ dishonesty was responsible for the collapse of her business and 15 employees losing their jobs.

“My trust was shattered by Thelma Gittens’s awful betrayal,” she said, describing the demise of the company she ran for fourteen years as “incredibly painful” and “horrific.”

"Trust Was Shattered": Baddeley

She hired Gittens as a self-employed bookkeeper in 2008. “I trusted her just like everyone else in my team.”

The company relied on a bank overdraft to survive and Ms Baddeley was forced to borrow £10,000 from her parents to keep Groom afloat.

Gittens knew about the family loan, but still took money from the company’s account the following day.

It was revealed during liquidation proceedings Gittens had transferred £60,715 into her account, plus another £55,757 to her brother’s account.

“I could not understand why the business got into such a bad financial state,” added Ms Baddeley. “I was shocked and numbed by the discovery Thelma Gittens was double invoicing her pay and paying someone else.

“She had been falsifying invoices and accounts and took advantage even though she knew the company was struggling financially.

“It was calculated and self-motivated and showed a complete disregard for me and the staff. 

“She even tried to buy the company for a nominal fee to cover-up what she had done in a hard-hearted and cynical way.”

Gittens, who claims she took the money to pay her mother’s medical bills in the Philippines, desperately tried to cover her tracks.

“She deleted files on two separate occasions and a total of twenty-five thousand payroll files were deleted,” said prosecutor Mr. Obi Mgbokwere.

“Once she realised the net was really closing in she said she was sorry and sent a letter to Ms Baddeley, but this was just a cut-and-paste letter she found on google.”

Ms Baddeley described the cut-and-paste ‘apology’ letter in which Gittens expressed her Christian values as “abhorrent.”

Judge Rajeev Shetty told Gittens, who remained in the court’s cells: “You deleted voluminous quantities of bank account statements to cover up your actions even though the game was up.

“Fifteen employees lost their jobs because this company folded. Their lives have been effected by your fraud.

“You also knew Ms Baddeley was going through a separation and divorce, yet you chose to defraud her.

“The real human tragedy is seeing the company fold and employees lose their jobs. Ms Baddeley described them as like family.

“A youtube video reveals you spent money on a lavish hotel party in Manila. You were there spending a fairly significant amount on this celebration.

“That video provides a snapshot of your lifestyle and was sent anonymously to the court.

“There is a fairly devious and calculating methodology. You were stealing this money and then trying to use it to buy and run the company, deposing the owners.

“You have inflicted far more collective pain on the owners of the company and their employees.”

The judge rejected much of Gittens’s claim the money was spent on medical bills. “Trying to help someone by ruthlessly destroying the lives of others can’t be good mitigation.” 

Boozy Plane Groper Fondled Woman Sitting In Front

A drunken plane passenger, returning to Scotland after visiting his new-born baby in India, has been sentenced for groping the breast of a mum travelling with her two young children.

Father-of-three Saranjeet Bassi, 29, reached between the gap in the seats in front of him to squeeze the woman during the flight from Qatar to Heathrow.

“I feel what he did was sexual, the grabbing of my boob,” she said in a victim impact statement. “I have a mix of emotions, I was angry and wanted him off the flight.

“I was with my kids and it makes me feel sick and violated. He took advantage and I don’t want him to do this to anyone else.”

Bassi, of Craiglea, Causewayhead, Stirling, was convicted of sexually assaulting the woman on the Qatar Airways flight on December 12, last year.

Bassi turned to alcohol after his mother, Gurmit Bassi, 52, was convicted at Glasgow’s High Court of murdering his restauranteur father’s new pregnant wife in 1998.

He was sentenced to a two-year community order and ordered to complete 200 hours community service and pay £1,000 costs.

Bassi must also attend at least 100 days of a probation-service ordered rehabilitation activity requirement, which includes an alcohol treatment requirement.

Isleworth Crown Court heard Bassi was convicted of exposing himself in 2014 and playing with himself in front of two women.

“Alcohol seems to have played a part and this was a consequence of having consumed too much and the abuse of alcohol that has played a part in his life up until now,” said Mr. Matthew Pardoe, defending.

“He is not a daily drinker, but a binge drinker and now says he has stopped completely.

“He is very scared about the prospect of going to prison. 

“It was a journey both to see his new-born child, who is under a year old and to secure that child a British passport.”

Recorder Stephen Bellamy-James QC said: “It would be more impressive if he was going to Alcoholics Anonymous and going through the twelve steps.

“This is a pretty bizarre case in any event. The alcohol problem he’s got not only disinhibits him, but makes him unaware of what he’s doing.

“If he is not careful he is going to end up in custody for a long time.

“It is a strange and bizarre incident that I accept has caused upset and trauma to the victim on the plane.”

The judge told Bassi: “You drank quite a lot of alcohol, probably doubles, on the plane from India to Doha and then more while waiting for your connecting flight.

“You had a troubled upbringing and were placed in psychiatric wards and foster care by your mother and you were taunted and bullied in childhood.

“You took to drinking as a teenager to cope with the problems of your childhood.

“You do need help with your alcohol addiction and mental health. You have a last opportunity to try and reform your behaviour and conduct.”

Bassi was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register for five years.  

He fought the case and the victim told the jury: “I felt him putting his hand through the gap in the seats and he grabbed my right breast. 

“On a scale of one to ten it was a five. It was not painful, but it was definitely felt.”

She said Bassi began playing with her eighteen month-old son between the seats just twenty minutes after taking off.

“He said: ‘What a cute child, can I offer him a sweet?’ I said: ’No’ because I could smell alcohol on his breath and did not want anything to do with him.

“It was quite strong. I could smell it on his breath even when not talking to him.”

The woman, who was also travelling with her seven year-old, told the jury she confronted Bassi after being groped.

“I stood up immediately and said: ‘Excuse me, that’s not called for’ and gave him a look of disgust and he just stared at me.”

She complained to cabin crew, but Bassi refused to move, later telling police to do so would be an admission of wrongdoing.

Because she was in a baby seat with a cot the mum had to remain where she was. “I was helpless, upset, I couldn’t do anything about it and had no chance, but to sit there.”

Two hours later she felt further contact from Bassi, she said. “I felt a foot rubbing my foot under the seat.”

Again she complained to the flight crew and the defendant again refused to budge.

“When he was asked to move he became quite rude and aggressive and said he had not done anything wrong and had been asleep all the time.

“I was humiliated, embarrassed and very upset.”

Bassi was arrested at Heathrow. “He denied grabbing her breast and said he was rubbing his foot on the seat in front,” prosecutor Mr. Jonathan Wright told the jury.

“He said he did not move because that would be an admission of wrongdoing.”