I own this road, I can do what I want
Ex-billionaire ‘hurled racist abuse at bin man who blocked his Bentley’
A former billionaire property tycoon screamed racist abuse at a refuse collector he claimed had blocked the path of his Bentley, a court was told yesterday.
Simon Halabi called the bin man a ‘ black ****’ in a heated exchange outside an exclusive private members’ club in mayfair, Southwark Crown Court heard.
At one stage he was even said to have shouted at his victim: ‘I own this road, I can do what I want.’
The incident was played out yesterday in front of a jury as prosecutor David Jenkins told how the two men clashed shortly before midnight almost two years ago. refuse collector Carl Thomas, 47, was with his truck as it stopped in the middle of the road to pick up bags of rubbish but was accused of ‘blocking’ 58-year-old mr Halabi’s car.
During their first exchange it was claimed Halabi shouted ‘**** off out the way you black ****’ at mr Thomas. Halabi – listed in 2007 as Britain’s 14th richest man before declaring bankruptcy in 2010 – turned on mr Thomas again and branded him a ‘monkey’.
Shortly afterwards a black passer-by tried to intervene but Halabi then turned on him, calling him a ‘****ing monkey’. The court heard how Halabi was driving back to his home in Berkeley Square when the rubbish truck stopped at around 11.40pm on february 23, 2015. An agitated Halabi was said to have honked his horn at mr Thomas and then rushed out of his Bentley, throwing punches and hurling racial abuse.
mr Jenkins continued: ‘mr Thomas became aware that there was
‘In a rage with his fist raised’
a parked Bentley and a driver who was in there – the defendant – behind him. He turned to the driver and said: ‘It’s late, it’s past 11pm… you can’t beep your horn now.’
It was then that Halabi got out of his car and walked towards mr Thomas with a ‘raised fist’, he said. mr Jenkins added: ‘ Simon Halabi got out and walked quickly towards him. According to mr Thomas, mr Halabi appeared to be in a rage with one of his hands raised in a fist and said, “**** off out the way you black ****.” In relation to that, he then threw a punch which Carl Thomas blocked.’
The jury was told that mr Thomas told Halabi he didn’t want to fight as a female passenger got out of the Bentley and asked the pair to stop arguing. mr Halabi allegedly said: ‘I own this road, I can do what I want, call the police.’
mr Jenkins added: ‘ The female pulled him away and mr Thomas then pulled out his phone and started to record what was being said.’ Police arrested both men at the scene but released mr Thomas after he was questioned. Halabi admitted using racial language but ‘he was trying to persuade police officers during the interview that it wasn’t really racist’.
‘His case is quite clearly I was hit first and I swore at him and I swore at him in those terms because he hit me,’ the prosecutor explained.
Halabi was worth £3billion in 2007, according to the Sunday Times rich List. But he was declared bankrupt in 2010 after failing to repay a £56million loan.
In 2013 he was sued for divorce by his Lithuanian-born wife Urte and lengthy proceedings are still ongoing at the High Court.
Halabi denies one count of racially aggravated assault and another count of assault. The trial continues.