Crispin Odey Accused of Attempting to Manipulate Assault Victim in High-Profile Court Case
In a dramatic courtroom confrontation, disgraced financier Crispin Odey has been accused of "trying to manipulate" a woman he previously assaulted. The allegation emerged during proceedings where the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) presented evidence suggesting Odey attempted to discourage the victim from providing a full account of her experiences.
Text Messages Reveal Odey's Alleged Manipulation Attempt
Court documents revealed text messages sent by Odey to a woman identified as COS, in which he wrote: "Really sorry... the FCA is pursuing a vendetta against both OAM and myself and you are being used by them to show that there were no controls and you were in fear of my position in the company, which stopped you from speaking out."
Odey continued in the messages: "I'm truly sorry for embarrassing you so long ago but I do not think that it is reason enough to close down OAM and call me unfit and improper, they may want to call you."
FCA barrister Clare Sibson KC directly challenged Odey about these communications, asking: "Are you trying to manipulate this woman in silence?" Odey firmly denied the allegation, maintaining he was merely alerting COS that the FCA might contact her.
Details of the Assault Emerge in Court
The court heard that COS had been interviewed by law firm Simmons & Simmons regarding an assault during which Odey groped her breasts. Sibson told the court: "As you well know, she screamed on her account of the assault."
This revelation follows Odey's admission on Tuesday that he groped his personal assistant's breasts following a dental appointment, a behavior he attributed to sedation received during the procedure.
COS's evidence included her description of Odey Asset Management (OAM) as having "a culture of fairly deliberate sexual harassment, which was part of the deal of working in a place like [the firm]." Odey responded to this characterization by stating: "This was a very serious incident, but it was looked at, and it was judged, and she stayed for another eight years."
Odey Accuses Former CEO of Self-Interest
In a separate development, Odey suggested that former OAM chief executive Tim Pearey, who resigned in 2022, was exploiting his disciplinary position with the City watchdog to "advance his own self-interest."
Odey claimed in his witness statement that Pearey's attitude changed significantly once the Simmons & Simmons investigation began, alleging Pearey "began to sing from the same hymn-sheet as the [Financial Conduct] Authority."
Using his wife's German idiom "Jemandem Honig um den Mund schmieren" (referring to smearing honey around someone's mouth), Odey described Pearey's behavior to the court. When questioned about Pearey's integrity, Odey responded simply: "No."
Earlier testimony revealed that Pearey, while on the stand, had called Odey a "sex pest" and a "sociopath" to the authority.
Odey Defends His Actions Regarding Firm Closure
Sibson repeatedly challenged Odey's assertion that he "had no other option but to close" the firm, asking pointedly: "You chose to use the threat to cause closure of the firm as a weapon, didn't you?"
Odey defended his position, telling the court he saw himself as an owner under unfair attack with a strong sense of injustice. He emphasized that he owned 98.5 percent of the firm and argued that any attempt to sue for unfair treatment would have effectively meant "suing myself."
In a revealing moment, court documents showed that when asked why he threatened to close OAM, Odey told the FCA: "I didn't have many weapons, did I?"
The trial continues with Odey expected to remain on the stand until Thursday, as both the FCA and defense teams prepare their final arguments in this high-stakes financial and personal misconduct case.
