A former tycoon and multi-millionaire has defeated his ex wife's appeal for a higher sum from their divorce settlement despite admitting to lying to the court and the judge about his personal circumstances.
Software entrepreneur Charles Sharland originally paid his ex-wife a figure in excess of £10 million after reaching a financial settlement two years after they split up in 2012. However, it was later found that his company would have been worth £460m if it were to be floated on the stock market.
Despite the fact that Mr Sharland lied to the court, misleading both the wife and the judge, a two to one majority ruled against Alison Sharland's claim for a greater sum of money that would have reflected his worth of shares totalling around £150m. Mrs Sharland was also ordered to pay legal costs of £50,000 for the failed appeal.
Mrs Sharland's barrister, Patrick Chamberlyne QC had argued that the couple had contributed equally during the marriage and that she had been “duped into a deal”. The court also heard that Mr Sharland was in the process of floating the company despite previous claims that he did not intend to do so for almost a decade.
However, Judge Moore-Bick ruled that while his disclosure was “deliberate and dishonest”, it had not materially affected the resulting divorce settlement.
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