Heiress ‘spat at policeman and kicked another one’
‘Attacked by a boyfriend’
AN heiress appeared in court yesterday accused of spitting in a policeman’s face and kicking a second officer.
Chloe Pidgley, whose grandfather Tony made £310million from his Berkeley homes empire, is said to have assaulted the constables outside her £1million home.
her trial was due to start at City of London magistrates’ court yesterday but she begged for an adjournment. in tears, the 26-year-old said: ‘My dad was going to pay for the solicitor but he changed his mind.’
Adrian Gifford, the chairman of the bench, said he would grant the ‘very unusual’ request due to her ‘demeanour’, saying she did not appear to be in a fit state to conduct her own defence.
Pidgley, a former receptionist, failed to show up at a previous hearofficers ing, which led to scotland Yard issuing a warrant for her arrest on August 12. Two days later, she handed herself in to officers.
The alleged attack on constables Calum Jackson and Jake harris happened on March 29 when they went to check on her welfare at her flat in earl’s Court.
her former boyfriend had been jailed a few days earlier for assaulting her with a chair and a radiator.
Katie Bryan, prosecuting, said: ‘Officers attended the defendant’s home address due to a report by the ambulance service of threats of selfharm. After a considerable amount of time inside her property the defendant stated that she wanted to leave the property.’ Miss Bryan said wanted Pidgley to stay put until mental health experts arrived.
But she allegedly tried to push past them, kicking out and spitting into the face of one of the officers.
Pidgley, who inherited a ‘coming of age’ fortune of £1million, was taken to A&e with wrist lacerations.
she told the court: ‘i got attacked by a boyfriend and i had to go to court over it and i was having a bad time.
‘i had gone to the doctors and i had post-traumatic stress from it at the time. My dad was going to pay for the solicitor but he changed his mind last minute and i haven’t worked since i got attacked.’
After hearing her plea, Mr Gifford said: ‘We can see that from your demeanour you are not in a fit state to conduct your defence. The trial is going ahead come what may.’
Pidgley denies two counts of assault. she was granted bail ahead of her trial in November.
Tony Pidgley, 72, co-founded Berkeley homes in 1976, and it has since grown to become a FTse 100 company.