he jury in the trial of socialite James Stuntcharged with money laundering has withdrawn to consider his verdicts.
The 40-year-old ex-husband of heiress Petra Ecclestone is one of eight defendants on trial in connection with an alleged criminal network, which jurors have heard £266 million in the bank account of Bradford gold dealer Fowler Oldfield from 2014 to 2016.
Prosecutors say “criminal money” was brought to Mr Oldfield’s property in West Yorkshire from across the country, before the scheme “went national” and Stunt’s offices in London also started receiving money.
It is alleged that the defendants hid the origin of the money by having it transferred through a company bank account and using the proceeds to buy gold.
Prosecutor Nicholas Clarke, QC, opened the case to jurors at the Cloth Hall Court in Leeds in May, saying it was “abundantly clear that this was criminal money”.
The court was told that the money had been transported by the hundreds of thousands of pounds at a time in sports bags, tote bags and holdalls – all deposited into Mr Oldfield’s bank account.
As evidence, Stunt told the jury that his company – Stunt & Co – was a “legitimate merchant of gold bars” and that the plan was to buy gold bullion and convert it into high quality gold bars.
Jurors heard he had started a “joint venture” with Mr Oldfield in August 2015 and the defendant denied there was anything illegal about the partnership saying: “To be as ostentatious as I was, that’s like walking around with a sign that says ‘arrest me’.” ‘.”
Prosecutors said Stunt may have become involved with the alleged network over the breakdown of his marriage to the daughter of F1 magnate Bernie Ecclestone meant that her family’s “river of money” “dried up”.
But Stunt told the court he was “not a custodian” during his relationship.
He told jurors that Mrs Ecclestone’s family was “very controlling of our marriage”.
Asked by his attorney Richard Fisher KC if he’d ever sought attention, Stunt said, “I’m not a Kardashian, I’ve never done anything to get fame.
“Wow, I have some money, I married the daughter of a famous man.
“That was not what I wanted. I loved my wife – I didn’t love her bank account.”
Judge Andrew Stubbs KC sent the jury of seven men and four women Tuesday afternoon to consider the verdicts.
Heidi Buckler, 45, Greg Frankel, 44, Paul Miller, 45, Haroon Rashid, 51, Daniel Rawson, 45, Francesca Sota, 34, Stunt and Alexander Tulloch, 41, all deny money laundering.
Stunt and Sota also deny counterfeiting.