Hedge fund founder Crispin Odey acquitted of indecent assault
Hedge fund mogul Crispin Odey has been acquitted of indecent assault after being accused of groping a young woman in the late 1990s.
Odey, founder of Odey Asset Management, was accused of “launching” himself at a young woman at his home in 1998. The woman, who was 27 at the time and worked in the banking sector, is approximately 13 years younger than the fund manager.
But today a judge Nicholas Rimmer acquitted Odey, saying his accuser’s evidence was “littered with troubling inconsistencies” and that “she’s at the very least an unreliable historian.”
In delivering his verdict Rimmer pointed to inconsistencies in the accuser’s statements, such as the time of day, the length of time she spent outside Odey’s house after she had visited him, and her perception of Odey’s age at the time of the event.
Throughout the case, Odey has denied the assault charge, but admitted to propositioning the woman, despite being married with two young children at the time.
Today on the witness stand Odey admitted he had found his accuser “attractive and intelligent”, but insisted nothing physical happened between the pair.
Odey’s and the young woman’s account of events that took place that evening in 1998 differ.
The young woman alleged Odey “launched” at her in his kitchen, putting his hands down her shirt, and on her leg, where he tried to put his hand up her skirt.
She said she ended up at Odey’s house after a business meeting. She said the two tried to go to a pub near Odey’s office, but when the pub was full, they took a taxi together to his home.
In contrast, Odey said he telephoned the young woman the day after they had met for a business meeting, and asked her to come to his house for a drink later in the week.
When she came to his house, Odey said, the pair were sat separately in his television room. They ordered a Chinese takeaway, and, when the young woman asked him “where do you think this is going to lead?” Odey replied: “In bed, hopefully.”
According to Odey, the woman then left immediately afterwards, angry with Odey’s unprofessionalism.
A spokesman for Odey AM said: “Crispin has always maintained his innocence, and we are pleased that he has been found not guilty.”