Hostesses ‘f lashed at and groped’ during men-only charity Dorchester dinner
LEADING figures from business and finance have been accused of groping and propositioning female hostesses at a prestigious all-male charity dinner.
The Presidents Club hired 130 attractive women to chat to the men at the annual black-tie fundraiser, which was held at The Dorchester hotel in Mayfair last Thursday.
They were given black dresses and allegedly told to wear matching black underwear and sexy shoes to parade in front of guests from British business, politics and finance at the start of the night.
But two undercover reporters who posed as hostesses for the evening claimed some women were repeatedly propositioned by the male guests, with one man accused of exposing himself.
Another guest reportedly grabbed a hostess by the waist and told her: ‘You look far too sober. I want you to down that glass, rip off your knickers and dance on the table.’
Many of the hostesses at the party were jobbing actresses or students looking for extra money, and some were described as looking ‘shocked’ and ‘frightened’ by the experience.
The fundraiser was hosted by the comedian David Walliams, and the names of Topshop tycoon Sir Philip Green and Dragons’ Den star Peter Jones were seen on a seating chart ahead of the event. There is no suggestion that they were involved in the organisation of the fundraiser or any alleged groping. The Presidents Club raised £2million at the dinner. During its 33-year history it has given more than £20million to charities such as Great Ormond Street, Barnardo’s and the NSPCC.
The women hired as hostesses were expected to talk to the business leaders and bring them drinks from the bar.
They were allowed to drink during the event, and were expected to stay until 2am. Some had worked at the event before, with one who was hired for the 2012 dinner telling a reporter: ‘I can’t believe I’m here again.’
This year’s hostesses were recruited by the Artista agency, which reportedly said they all had to be ‘tall, thin and pretty’, and told them not to bring their boyfriends to the event.
During the interviews, founder Caroline Dandridge allegedly told an undercover Financial Times reporter: ‘It’s a Marmite job. Some girls love it and for other girls it’s the worst job in the world and they will never do it again.
‘You just have to put up with the annoying men, and if you can do that it’s fine.’ The women, who are believed to have signed a five-page non- disclosure agreement, were warned some of the guests might try to get them ‘p***ed’.
They were said to be paid £150 for a ten-hour shift, with an extra £25 for a taxi home.
During the evening, some of the guests allegedly held hostesses’ hands while they were sitting down. One 28-year- old woman told an undercover reporter she had been touched inappropriately on her hips, stomach and legs, and a man had tried to kiss her.
The main event at the fundraiser was an auction in which guests could bid for prizes such as tea with Bank of England governor Mark Carney, or lunch with Boris Johnson.
Seedier lots are believed to have included a trip to the Windmill strip club in Soho or plastic surgery ‘to spice up your wife’. At midnight, the group moved to a different room in the hotel for an after-party, where one hostess was told to take off her underwear and dance on the table.
Both Miss Dandridge and The Dorchester told the Financial Times they had no knowledge of any harassment or wrongdoing.
In a statement, the luxury hotel said it had a zero-tolerance attitude to harassment and said it would co-operate with the authorities if any complaints were made. Miss Dandridge told the Financial Times: ‘There is a code of conduct that we follow.
‘I am not aware of any reports of sexual harassment and, with the calibre of guest, I would be astonished.’
Mr Walliams declined to comment to the Financial Times. None of the club’s trustees provided any comment last night.
‘Down that glass and dance on the table’