Journalists doing their job felt the full wrath of Sir Philip’s verbal threats
SIR Philip Green threatened to “bank- rupt” The Daily Telegraph if it printed allegations that he had sexually and racially abused his staff, it can be revealed.
In a series of increasingly aggressive and expletive-ridden phone calls, the Topshop owner said that executives at the newspaper should “grow some balls”, said that he would take “pleasure” in personally bankrupting the editor and warned reporters that he did not want “an ugly punch-up”.
The comments came after he was contacted in July last year and details of the allegations surrounding his use of controversial gagging orders were put to him.
He kept telling the reporter not to be “stupid” and asking for more time to respond.
The billionaire used the extra time to seek an injunction against this newspaper, which he dropped just days before the case was due to go to trial.
He claimed that by investigating a tip-off that he used his power and wealth to silence his alleged victims, this newspaper had “behaved f-----disgustingly”.
Asking for publication to be delayed, he ranted: “I’m just telling you, take this message back to your editor OK, please, so we don’t have to have a punch-up.
“I will personally sue your editor for damages that will be long beyond what he’ll be able to earn if he lives to 1,000 years old.
“Get smart, right? You’re making very, I told you, very damaging allegations, OK? I told you there’s 30,000, 2530,000 people involved, there’s millions of customers involved. And if you damage the business he is going to need a new job and your paper, your paper might end up bankrupt as well.”
At the same time, Sir Philip dodged questions about his behaviour saying that he “didn’t just get born yesterday”.
When asked if he did make apparently xenophobic comments, he told the reporter: “God loves a trier.”
Sir Philip repeatedly described Claire Newell, the investigations editor, as a “girl” and on more than one occasion he was told, “She’s not a girl, she’s obviously a woman”.
He replied: “I don’t know who the f--- she is, all I know is her behaviour is diabolical.”
The emergence of his comments is likely to heap further embarrassment on Baroness Brady, the chair of his holding company. The Government’s business adviser and BBC star previously attacked David Moyes, the thensunderland manager, for calling a reporter a girl. Lady Brady wrote about Moyes’s comments in her newspaper column, saying: “She’s not a girl. She is a woman and a professional. To call someone a girl is belittling, disrespectful and a real indication that you don’t see her as an equal.”
Questions have been raised about what Lady Brady knew about the nondisclosure agreements and payoffs of up to a million pounds that Sir Philip was making through his company, Arcadia Group.
Sir Philip said he was due to discuss the allegations with her in July, before the company sought an injunction with costs running into millions of pounds.
She has yet to comment on the legal case or the allegations.
During a series of seven phone calls, Sir Philip demanded that he talk “to the captain” and repeatedly complained that senior executives at the newspaper were “running away”, saying that they should “get some f------ balls and call people back if they phone you”.
When he was asked if basic details could be verified or if he had any response to the allegations he told the reporter he was on the “verge of very annoying” and “a smart a---”.
Sir Philip also asked personal questions including “How good were you in school?” and “What did you get for your homework?”
He also apparently threatened to go to the reporter’s home at 9.30pm at night to “see if you like it”.
On July 17, the deadline for the response to the allegations, he asked for more time, questioning “what difference” it made.
He said: “I’m trying my best not to get annoyed with you, aren’t I? I’m trying to have a very simple, basic conversation. You want to try and ruin me, ruin the business, ruin my family, ruin our lives.”
He added that he would be “happy” to apply for an injunction, adding: “I’ve got one against the Government, I’ll get one against you.”
In the meantime, he had employed attack-dog law firm Schillings, who behind the scenes were preparing to apply for a gagging order
‘If you damage the business your editor is going to need a new job and your paper might end up bankrupt’