Pampered ex-public schoolboy kicked fiancee in the stomach and dragged her by the hair
...but he’s spared jail and told to get domestic abuse counselling
A SPOILT playboy who attacked his fiancee at his luxury apartment was spared jail despite a judge voicing fears for the victim’s safety.
Marco Nardone, 29, the son of a millionaire wine importer, dragged d Toni Allcock by the hair and kicked her in the stomach at his £2 million West London flat.
Nardone, a former banker who was s educated at £37,000-a-year Charterhouse - School before studying physics s at Imperial College London, had also o previously slapped Miss Allcock and d grabbed her throat.
The failed tech entrepreneur nodded d as he was sentenced to eight weeks in n jail suspended for 18 months yesterday, y, despite Magistrate Amanda Barron n describing the assault as ‘vicious, spiteful - and very shocking’.
Instead of an immediate prison sentence, she ordered him to attend domestic abuse counselling.
Nardone was the chief executive of Fling, an app which let users send photos to strangers. However, he blew
‘Spiteful and shocking’
£17 million of investors’ cash and the app went bust without making a penny after it was ‘hijacked by sexting’, Westminster
As his business failed, Nardone was posting photos online from stunning locations around the world including Thailand, Dubai, San Francisco and the Maldives, which he described as his ‘favourite place on earth’. His Instagram Thames-side the Katie couple six which account dining Bryan, and Magistrates’ months culminated started at apartment. relaxing shows prosecuting, expensive into having Court the him in relationship, a at restaurants row swimming, heard. problems said his at 2.30am WhatsApp sent The to attack an on ex-girlfriend. message December began Nardone 12 when over had he a returned Allcock apparently tried to his to flat go drunk, into in Hammersmith, and the Miss bedroom, Miss the Bryan court said: heard. ‘ He put both hands his mobile around phone her out neck and and tried got to film her as she shouts at him. He then slapped her across the face.’
She added: ‘She then runs for the lift, banging on the button in order to call for the lift and also to try and get help. He dragged her back by her hair.’ Miss Allcock managed to reach the lift again but he followed her and ‘ booted her in the stomach’. Martin Lewis, defending, insisted the row had been about Nardone coming home late from a dinner with his father Remo, the owner of Enotria Winecellars. He said Nardone and his fiancee would be attending couples’ counselling. Police had previously been called to the flat after neighbours heard screaming but no allegations were made. Sentencing Nardone, Miss Barron said: ‘This was a really serious offence. It was vicious, spiteful and sustained and very shocking. ‘You started with hands around the throat, you slapped her so hard her ears were ringing. ‘We heard you kicked her in the stomach and before then you pulled her by her hair. It must have been terrifying for her. You were out of control.
‘We think the harm is more serious because we think you intended to cause more harm than was actually caused.
‘It was late at night, she was in her home. You tried to prevent her from leaving.
‘It must have been awful for her. We also believe this is a pattern of behaviour. We are very concerned about her safety.
‘ We have thought very hard about sending you to prison today. It is important you have specific domestic abuse counselling so you don’t do this again.’
The couple are still engaged and after the failure of their Fling business now run a music app together. Nardone had spent a year as a trader at Credit Suisse and was just 23 when his 81-year-old father gave him £1.5million to develop Fling. He saw himself as a rival to Evan Spiegel, the US founder of picture-messaging app Snapchat.
Millions of pounds were raised for the business by ex-Goldman Sachs banker Raffaele Costa. But Fling survived for only a few months before it was quietly shut down.
Nardone admitted assault by beating. He was also ordered to pay costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £115.