Boutique owner tries to send friend to jail
THE owner of a celebrity Knightsbridge boutique is attempting to have her former friend sent to prison following a legal row over a £1.3million loan.
Bridget Hutchcroft, 63, whose Pandora Dress Agency was a favourite with Diana, Princess of Wales, and actresses including Catherine Zeta-jones and Ava Gardner, claimed she was persuaded to lend her life savings to Ekaterina Barrett, 67, to help fund her divorce.
She later sued Ms Barrett after she failed to repay the loan but she did not honour the settlement agreement.
Ms Hutchcroft secured a High Court judgment against her for £1,665,560, covering the £1.3million loan plus interest, in October 2022. Now Ms Hutchcroft is attempting to get her former friend jailed for contempt of court.
Seven years ago Ms Barrett, who claimed to be a “connoisseur of highend couture” and was living in a £4.2million Mayfair flat, met Ms Hutchcroft after she started visiting the shop.
The pair became friends, but the relationship turned sour after Ms Hutchcroft lent her £1.3million.
Ms Hutchcroft claimed in court papers prior to winning in 2022 that she had been the victim of “fraudulent misrepresentation” on the part of her friend, who she claimed posed as a “multi-multimillionaire”.
Ms Barrett denied borrowing the money, insisting that the transactions related to the sale of designer clothes.
Now Ms Hutchcroft and her company have returned to court, seeking Ms Barrett’s committal to jail for allegedly lying to the High Court about the extent of her wealth.
Last week James Mcwilliams, for Ms Hutchcroft, ask for Ms Barrett to be committed to prison for contempt of court, claiming her evidence last June was “false and known by her to be false in several material respects”.
Mr Justice Mould adjourned the case to give Ms Barrett an opportunity to gather legal advice, adding that she must appear for the next court fixture.
The Pandora Dress Agency is listed as a claimant as it claims to have advanced about £50,000 to Ms Barrett.