MILLIONAIRE UK media columnist Taki Theodoracopulos has been convicted of attempting to rape a British woman at his multi-million-pound Swiss chalet.
The victim gave a harrowing account of the incident that happened at a ski resort in the Swiss Alps, saying she felt like a “piece of meat”.
The media man, known for his regular 'High Life' column in the Spectator magazine, was handed a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, by a Swiss judge for the horrific attack in 2009.
The married 87-year-old was found guilty of attacking the British woman, who can’t be named, on a ski weekend in Gstaad.
During the nine-hour hearing on Thursday, the multimillionaire shipping mogul said the woman’s claims were “monstrous” and that she was trying to destroy his career.
The heartbroken victim cried in court as she spoke about the assault.
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She said: “I felt like a piece of meat.
“I didn’t feel that he saw me as a person at all.
“I tried very hard to put the incident behind me but it really shook my confidence professionally and it has had ongoing emotional consequences.”
Theodoracopulos invited two friends and the victim to his Gstaad home where he was “very charming and talkative” according to the original police statement.
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The woman started to feel uneasy by his attempts to kiss her and him visiting the guest room as the victim was having a shower.
She said, holding back tears: “I tried to brush him off as discreetly as possible.
“It was embarrassing, but I didn’t feel threatened or frightened at all.
“He stared at us while we were naked and made unpleasant remarks, but at the time we just thought he was being ridiculous.”
But when he followed her into her room later that night the victim said she felt scared by the then 73-year-old's aggressive attitude after she rejected another unwanted kiss and asked him to leave.
She said: “He came towards the bed and started kissing me again.
“I just thought he was being silly, and then he pushed me down on the bed and he was saying to me ‘I want to f**k you.
“Come on, I want to f**k you’.
The victim felt helpless because of the much bigger man and his clear intentions.
She carried on: “It was very physical.
“I was really frightened because he was a very strong man, and I thought it would be easy if I just let him do it so he didn’t hurt me.
“But I kept on pushing him away from me and eventually he stopped and I told him in a quiet voice to leave the room.”
The brave woman explained that she waited a decade to finally report the attack to the Met police because she didn’t want people to think she was making it all up.
She told the court: “I didn’t think anyone would believe me.
“The accused was, is, a wealthy and powerful man.
“I thought everyone would think I was lying and I was trying to make my way in.
“I thought I shouldn’t have accepted the invitation, I shouldn’t have gone, and that if I tried to say something everyone would say it was my own fault.”
In his sentencing remarks, the judge said her courage to speak up was “stringent and credible” and that she had no motive to make a false accusation.
The Greek-born writer was also ordered to pay court costs and compensation to the victim.
His lawyer indicated that they would appeal against the verdict.
His controversial “High Life” column he’s been writing since 1977 is expected to be axed from the famous British magazine.
Theodoracopulos is a well-known figure in the glitzy resort of Gstaad, living in a 250 metre-square property called Chalet Palataki, which translates to Chalet Palace.
He was first questioned by Swiss police in February last year.
He and his wife went to a hearing with a Swiss prosecutor in July followed by the alleged victim.
Last month, he told a Swiss journalist: "All my life I've never been accused of anything like this but now, with #MeToo, suddenly we're all guilty."
Theodoracopulos, a close friend of disgraced US film producer Harvey Weinstein, defended his buddy when multiple women came forward to make complaints of sexual abuse.
He once said that “everyone comes crawling out of the woodwork” when Weinstein started to get accused, even by “an ugly waitress” as he put it.
When asked if he had any final words Theodoracopulos said: “It’s a great travesty of justice and I shouldn’t be here.
“I’m a Christian and I don’t hold grudges but I might make an exception in this case.”
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The journalist has been in hot water before when he claimed black people had lower IQs than other people.
And was also arrested for having cocaine in 1984 after trying to get on a plane at Heathrow. The incident led to a three months prison sentence at HMP Pentonville.
How you can get help
Women’s Aid has this advice for victims and their families:
- Always keep your phone nearby.
- Get in touch with charities for help, including the Women’s Aid live chat helpline and services such as SupportLine.
- If you are in danger, call 999.
- Familiarise yourself with the Silent Solution, reporting abuse without speaking down the phone, instead dialing “55”.
- Always keep some money on you, including change for a pay phone or bus fare.
- If you suspect your partner is about to attack you, try to go to a lower-risk area of the house – for example, where there is a way out and access to a telephone.
- Avoid the kitchen and garage, where there are likely to be knives or other weapons. Avoid rooms where you might become trapped, such as the bathroom, or where you might be shut into a cupboard or other small space.
If you are a victim of domestic abuse, SupportLine is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200. The charity’s email support service is open weekdays and weekends during the crisis – [email protected].
Women’s Aid provides a live chat service – available weekdays from 8am-6pm and weekends 10am-6pm.
You can also call the freephone 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.
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