Philip Green groping trial dropped – as accuser won’t give evidence
A JUDGE in the US has dismissed an assault case against Sir Philip Green after a pilates instructor he allegedly groped decided not to appear in court to give evidence against him.
Katie Surridge, 38, had accused the business mogul of ‘repeatedly fondling’ her bottom and making inappropiate comments to her at the exclusive Canyon Ranch health club in Tucson, Arizona, in 2016 and 2018.
It led to billionaire Sir Philip, 67, whose Arcadia Group owns Topshop, Burton and Dorothy Perkins, being charged with four counts of assault by prosecutors in the US. He completely denies the claims.
The trial was due to start in Arizona next month, but yesterday it was revealed that the case had been dropped when Arcadia released a statement on behalf of Sir Philip.
It said: ‘At the request of the prosecution the cases alleging assault against Sir Philip Green, due to be heard before The Consolidated Court of Arizona in and for The County of Pima on 20th February 2020, were dismissed by the Order of the Honourable Justice Vince Roberts on 17th January 2020. These matters are now closed.’
Lauren Deakin, deputy county attorney in Pima, where the prosecution was brought, later said that the case was dismissed due to a ‘misdemeanour compromise’.
This can occur in some US states after the defendant has reimbursed
‘It’s a big weight off his shoulders’
the alleged victim for any economic loss, or because an alleged victim does not wish to prosecute.
The latter can be for a wide variety of reasons such as, for example, if they are not telling the truth or they do not wish to subject their relatives to the embarrassment of themselves appearing in court, according to lawyers.
Mrs Surridge initially claimed in a police interview that the ‘creepy old man’ had ‘vigorously’ slapped her bottom up to ten times in January 2016.
She alleged that on a second occasion in January 2018, Sir Philip had placed his hand around her waist and grabbed her bottom.
A source close to the case last night said that Mrs Surridge had signed an affidavit this month saying that she had ‘a civil remedy for the injuries and/or damages’ and she ‘did not intend to appear in court to testify against the defendant’.
But the source stressed that does not mean that she has taken or is going to take any kind of financial settlement, and added that there have been ‘no admissions of any kind at any time whatsoever’ by the defendant.
The source added that the statute of limitations for a civil claim in the case had now passed. Sir Philip yesterday declined to comment, but a source close to him said: ‘It’s a huge relief for him, a big weight off his shoulders. He can now move on with his life.’
He hired high-profile lawyers to defend the case including Alan Jackson, who succeeded in getting sexual assault charges dropped against actor Kevin Spacey.
Neither Mrs Surridge, who waived her right to anonymity last year, nor her legal team were available to comment last night. Last year, Sir Philip prevented the collapse of his retail empire when creditors approved a restructuring plan.
His group embarked upon a major restructuring process last year in a bid to cut costs.
Some 23 UK stores are expected to close, with up to 1,000 jobs at risk. A further 25 stores are also on the brink of closure.