A man who fell to his death from a flat in Marylebone, central London on Monday (08/12/14) has been identified as 52-year-old Scot Young, a business tycoon who had been at the centre of a bitter divorce battle.
The Evening Standard reports that Mr Young made £2 billion as a “fixer” to the wealthy – but had been battling his ex-wife for six years over their divorce settlement. He claimed he had lost his £2bn fortune over a property deal in Moscow.
However, Mr Young’s former wife, Michelle Young, 49, was awarded £20 million by a judge earlier this year – but she had claimed her ex-husband had concealed assets.
Mr Young was found guilty of contempt of court by a High Court judge in January 2009 and was given a six-month suspended sentence after he refused to reveal his financial details. In January 2013, he was jailed and sent to HMP Pentonville for failing to comply with court orders.
The business tycoon had claimed, however, that he had lost his fortune as the result of the Russian property deal which went wrong. In November, 2012, his ex-wife had been awarded £27,500 a month to cover rent and school fees for herself and the couple’s two daughters, which Mr Young claimed he was unable to pay.
It is reported Mrs Young is yet to receive any of the £20m divorce settlement from her late husband – and it is likely she will now have to make a claim against his estate under the Inheritance Act.
Mr Young lived at the Marylebone property with his current partner Noelle Reno, 31, a US-born former model who is currently appearing in a reality TV show. Neighbours said the couple had kept a low profile at the luxury apartment in Montagu Square, which they moved into in July.
In May 2013, Mrs Young told the Evening Standard that her ex-husband had suffered from mental health problems – including a previous suicide attempt and treatment at The Priory Clinic following their separation.
In court, Mr Young had alleged that he had been harassed by private detectives over his divorce and the six-year battle with his ex-wife had taken a toll on his health.
He added that going bankrupt in 2010 had taken a further toll on his health – and he had been detained under the Mental Health Act and admitted to hospital, but had been unable to obtain legal representation from a barrister.
A judge had described the couple’s divorce battle as “quite extraordinary” – with Mrs Young having racked up legal expenses of more than £6m fighting her ex-husband in court. She had employed 13 sets of lawyers and four teams of accountants in her divorce battle.
The couple separated at around the same time as Mr Young lost his fortune, after “growing apart”. An investigation into Mr Young’s financial affairs and insolvency is being conducted by Grant Thornton and is likely to continue.
Police said they were not treating Mr Young’s death as suspicious.
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