Odey maintains not guilty plea as assault trial faces technical delays

Case over 1998 incident begins

Hedge fund manager Crispin Odey maintained a plea of not guilty on the first day of his indecent assault trial, which revealed further details of his alleged behaviour during a 1998 incident when he is said to have "lunged" at a then-bank employee.

The founder of Odey Asset Management faced the charges at Hendon Magistrates Court today (17 February) in a trial that is expected to extend beyond its planned two-day duration as a result of a delay in relation to technical difficulties in presenting evidence.  Odey is accused of groping an employee of a bank, of which he was a client, at his address in Swan Walk, Chelsea following a meeting. The court was told by the Crown Prosecution Service's Kerry Broome that the complainant had to "wrestle herself free" from Odey, who is said to have grabbed her breast and put his hand up her sk...