Topshop billionaire ‘ slapped, kissed & groped’ female staff
London, Feb. 9: British billionaire businessman Sir Philip Green has been accused of “slapping, kissing and groping” a woman and telling a black male employee that he looked like he was “throwing spears in the jungle”, the Daily Telegraph reported.
The retail tycoon, who is the chairman of the Arcadia Group that owns Topshop, Wallis, Evans, Miss Selfridge and Dorothy Perkins among others, allegedly paid the female executive more than £ 1m to stay quiet.
The report said the senior female employee was one of five members of staff who signed gagging orders after being bullied or harassed.
Sir Philip also allegedly dragged a woman around in a headlock and smashed a male employee’s mobile phone, the newspaper said.
The Topshop boss denies the allegations.
Lawyers representing Sir Philip told the Telegraph that he was a “passionate businessman, who can at times be overexuberant and hot- headed” and that he could be “perceived at times as aggressive with senior and trusted staff”.
The billionaire had used an injunction to stop Telegraph from publishing the allegations six months ago. But the paper continued fighting a legal battle and on Friday his action against the paper was formally ended by a high court.
London: Sir Philip Green allegedly subjected people working in his business empire to abuse and other inappropriate behaviour that was at times racial, physical and sexual, according to a report.
A host of serious allegations were published on Friday evening by the Daily Telegraph after an injunction obtained by the businessman was lifted.
The paper said some of the people involved had made complaints about Green but they had been covered up. In some cases, Green is alleged to have paid people large sums of money in return for their silence.
He was accused of making racist remarks to black employees, of groping female employees and of being physically aggressive and abusive towards both male and female members of staff.
The paper made the allegations public on Friday evening after Green dropped legal action against it in the high court earlier the same day.
The paper reported last October that an unidentified businessman had obtained an injunction against it. Peter Hain, operating under cover of parliamentary privilege, later revealed that figure to be Green.
As a result, the businessman’s lawyers argued there was no longer any point in pursuing legal
action and a judge agreed to allow him to withdraw it on Friday, ordering him to pay the Telegraph’s costs. The paper has estimated his bill to be in the region of £ 3 million.
In one of the claims reported by the Telegraph on Friday, it was alleged that Green mocked a black employee’s dreadlocks and accused him of smoking cannabis, as well as telling him his “problem” was that “everyone else is firing guns and you’re still throwing spears in the jungle”.
The employee later accepted a £ 1m payment on condition that he signed a gagging order, the Telegraph reported. The
man refused to comment when contacted by the paper. The report said other staff had raised concerns about Green, with some claiming the need to be “careful about hiring” had been discussed because Green felt there were “too many black people” in his Arcadia business.
Green denied any “unlawful … racist behaviour”, the paper said.
In another claim reported by the Telegraph, Green is alleged to have groped a senior female executive, called her a “naughty girl”, as well as kissing her face in full view of other staff and making comments about her weight. It was alleged that she was later paid more than £ 1 million to keep quiet. The Telegraph said it had chosen not to name the woman, who had declined to comment when contacted by the paper.
Other women told the paper they had also been the objects of inappropriate behaviour. Green’s lawyers admitted he acted in a “tactile” way and has “prodded and poked individuals”. He has said he “categorically denies any unlawful … sexual behaviour”.
According to the Telegraph’s coverage, an Arcadia employee also accused Green of “grabbing” her face and making