Ex-husband of Austrian princess jailed for obstructing court in bitter £2m divorce fight
-
Loading... - Olivia Carrick
- 03 Feb 2022
- 424 Views
- 0 Like
- 0 Comment
The ex-Labour party fundraising husband of a prominent member of the Austrian royal family has been sentence to prison for contempt of court.
Anthony Bailey, 52, was given a 12 month sentence after a judge concluded that he breached orders made during a family court fight over money with his ex-wife, Princess Marie-Therese Elizabeth von Hohenberg Bailey, 49.
Ms Hohenberg is the great granddaughter of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, whose assassination triggered World War I.
Mr Bailey denied contempt of court allegations, but Mr Justice Peel ruled in Ms Hohenberg Bailey's favour at a public hearing in the Family Division of the High Court in London on Tuesday.
Ms Hohenberg Bailey, who lives in Twickenham, south-west London, was at the hearing, while Mr Bailey was not in court but represented by lawyers.
Judges had already heard how the pair were embroiled in a bitter battle over their shared millions at a private hearing.
Judge Sarah Gibbons previously ruled that Ms Hohenberg Bailey should receive more than £2 million - a figure that included her legal fees - and today Mr Justice Peel heard that she was still owed about £1 million.
On Tuesday it was found that Mr Bailey had breached orders requiring him to take steps to realise assets, and an order designed to prevent him leaving the legal jurisdiction of England and Wales, Mr Justice Peel concluded.
It is believed the public relations consultant is currently in Portugal.
The judge said Mr Bailey's behaviour had been designed to deprive Ms Hohenberg Bailey of money she was entitled to.
He said Mr Bailey had "obstructed the court" at "almost every possible opportunity".
Mr Justice Peel said a custodial sentence was justified, and Mr Bailey would serve six months before being eligible for release on licence.
The judge also said Mr Bailey could comply with orders and apply to purge his contempt.
The pair have one son together and married in 2007 during a grand ceremony in front of 600 guests in Salzburg. Read More…
