Wife’s £2.7m 10 years after divorce
A FASHION tycoon has been ordered to give his ex-wife £2.7million – more than a decade after their divorce.
Glenn Briers, 61, was branded a liar who used deception to force through a ‘worthless’ settlement with 58-year-old spouse Nicola in 2005.
Now the Appeal Court has backed a judge’s decision to hand her a £1.6million slice of the businessman’s fortune and 25 per cent of his pension.
Justices agreed Mrs Briers deserved a fairer share after hearing she had played a ‘significant’ role bringing up their three children. Former teacher Mr Briers started his business from his garage in the 1980s with £81 of his own money.
By the time the couple split in 2002 after 18 years, the sports and streetwear empire was turning over £1million a year. His company, Lydenford Ltd, is now a £30million giant and includes the fashion brands Lambretta and Vision Streetwear.
When they divorced, Mr Briers gave his ex-wife £150,000 to pay off the mortgage and she kept their £700,000 family home.
She also got a £10,000-a-year salary, plus child maintenance – but he kept the business and is now said to be worth £10million. After her relationship with her new partner broke down, Mrs Briers went back to the divorce courts asking for more money. In 2015, judge Mark Rogers agreed she deserved an extra £2.7million.
The judge said Mr Briers’ failure to fully disclose his assets meant the original agreement was not worth the paper it was written on. The deal had been driven by the and ‘psychologically controlling’ husband, who was ‘dismissive’ of his wife’s contribution, the judge said.
But Mr Briers insisted his ex-wife should get only a £500,000 lump sum, saying it was too late for her to make a fresh claim after their ‘clean break’ 12 years ago. Appeal judges have now thrown out his case, arguing the businessman was guilty of ‘deception’ and ‘untruthfulness in evidence’.
Mrs Briers had played a vital role in building up the business and was entitled to a stake in its success, they said.