Saatchi in 'deep rage' during row over toilet
Art collector and gallery ownerCharles Saatchi used "distortion, intimidation and evasion" tactics during a dispute over the use of communal spaces in County Hall, central London, a court heard yesterday. Mr Saatchi was said to have gone into a "deep rage" and demonstrated how he would grab a company director by the throat in a row over the use of a disabled toilet.
The claims were made on the opening day of a high court trial between the owners and landlord of County Hall, the Shirayama Shokusan Company and Cadogan Leisure Investments, and Danovo, which trades as the Saatchi Gallery and is one of several tenants in the South Bank premises. Shirayama and Cadogan allege the gallery consistently encroached on communal areas not within its leased area.
Counsel for the claimants, Christopher Pyemont QC, said Mr Saatchi, the majority shareholder in Danovo, would not be giving evidence. Although Shirayama and Cadogan issued proceedings against the Saatchi Gallery two years ago, Mr Pyemont said Mr Saatchi's "intimidatory" tactics continued into the litigation.
The case continues.