Row about Nigella's decade of daily cocaine use may have triggered Charles Saatchi's restaurant 'choking' assault, court hears
'Cocaine use': Nigella Lawson gave her aides free rein to use credit cards as they wished in exchange for keeping quiet about her drugs use, the court heard
The restaurant row between Nigella Lawson and her husband Charles Saatchi which ended in her apparently being choked by him may have been sparked by her alleged drug-taking, a court heard.
The 53-year-old domestic goddess 'habitually took cocaine' on a daily basis for a decade but kept it secret from her millionaire art dealer husband, it was claimed.
She also allegedly abused prescription drugs and took cannabis during their marriage.
Mr Saatchi accused Miss Lawson of being 'so off your heads on drugs' that she allowed their personal assistants to spend whatever they liked on credit cards in an email, a judge was told.
He branded her 'Higella' in the message - and accused her of 'poisoning' her daughter Cosmina, 19, with drugs before adding: 'Classy!'
The claims emerged as Italian sisters Francesca and Elisabetta Grillo prepare to stand trial charged with spending £300,000 on luxuries including designer clothes and first-class air travel on their credit cards.
Mr Saatchi and Nigella split up after their ten-year marriage collapsed when pictures were published in June showing the art dealer holding his wife by the throat.During the row, he could also be seen grabbing her nose.
The incident on the terrace of Scott's restaurant in Mayfair, central London, was dismissed by Mr Saatchi as nothing more than 'a playful tiff' but he later accepted a police caution for assault
Anthony Metzer QC, defending Elisabetta, told Isleworth Crown Court the row may have been about Miss Lawson's alleged drug use and the credit card fraud claims.
He said: 'We are submitting the row that happened resulting in Mr Saatchi assaulting Nigella may have had something to do with Nigella taking drugs and may have something to do with the issue before this court of whether she gave them (the defendants) authority to use the cards.'
Referring to the Grillo sisters, he added: 'Our clients have been the innocent pawns in a rather unpleasant battle going on between Mr Saatchi, Miss Lawson and their lawyers.
Divorce: Nigella Lawson split from her husband Charles Saatchi after this picture emerged with his hand round her neck outside Scott's restaurant in Mayfair, London
During a 'bad character' application, lawyers for the sisters said they had a 'tacit understanding' that they could keep spending, as long as they didn't reveal Miss Lawson's 'guilty secret' to Mr Saatchi.
In an email Mr Saatchi, 70, sent to his former wife, he said she had taken drugs along with her 19-year-old daughter known as Mimi.
The message, read out by Judge Robin Johnson said: 'Of course now the Grillos will get off on the basis that you (and) Mimi were so off your heads on drugs that you allowed the sisters to spend whatever they liked and yes I believe every word they have said.'
Claims: Lawyers for Elisabetta Grillo (left) and Francesca (right) said Nigella Lawson gave them free rein to spend a fortune on a company credit card in return for keeping quiet about her use of cocaine, cannabis and prescription drugs
He added that 'Higella' had 'poisoned' her daughter with drugs and 'trashed' her life.The judge said the drug-taking claims could be reported even though the trial against Francesca, 34, and Elisabetta, 41, is yet to begin.
The pair are both charged with fraud against Charles Saatchi's company Conraco Partnership and deny the offence.
Asked by the police to explain what he meant in his mail, Saatchi told lawyers he said: 'At the time of sending that email I was completely astounded by the alleged scale of drug use set out in the statement.
'Nevertheless, I did believe the allegations and that's what I'm referring to in the email.
'I have been asked whether it referred to a belief that Nigella or the children permitted the sisters to spend whatever they liked. I can't remember precisely what I had in mind. On reflection I was simply speculating that the sisters would use this information to defend themselves.
'Of course now the Grillos sisters will get off on the basis that you (and) Mimi were so off your heads on drugs that you allowed the sisters to spend whatever they liked. And yes, I believe every word they have said.'
- Charles Saatchi's email to Nigella LawsonMr Metzer QC said Saatchi told his lawyers: 'During our marriage I was unaware Nigella took drugs.'
The explosive allegations were made as Judge Johnson allowed bad character evidence against Nigella to be heard at the upcoming trial.
In a hearing on November 15, the judge said: 'The defence asserts that Miss Lawson habitually took cocaine and did so on a daily basis - in addition to her abuse of prescription drugs - throughout the defendants' time in the household.’
Elisabetta and Francesca allegedly bought designer goods from Miu Miu, Chanel and Prada and booked a £3,616 Virgin Atlantic flight to New York using the credit cards.
During the November 15 hearing, Mr Metzer said that his client was alleging that Miss Lawson had a 'guilty secret' she was hiding from her husband.
Court claims: Charles Saatchi is seen out dining with Trinny Woodall at Scott's restaurant. The two Italian sisters are charged with credit card fraud against his company
He said: 'The bad character application relates to Miss Lawson's alleged taking of Class A and Class B drugs and her unauthorised use of prescription drugs. 'This is a matter highly relative to the defence because, in a nutshell, we respectfully submit she had a guilty secret from her husband. She did not want him to know about her use particularly of cocaine.
'Because the defendants were fully aware of her illicit drug use she consented to their expenditure on the understanding there would be no disclosure to her husband of her drug usage.
'It would not have been verbalised, but it would be along the lines of "you do this for me I do that for you".
'There would be an understanding. She would be fully aware of the substantial expenditure, but in return expected a tacit understanding that it would remain behind closed doors.'
He added: 'It was not the money being spent, Ms Lawson has her own money, she was independently wealthy, but what the money was being spent on. Her husband would not have condoned such use.
'They had a tacit understanding that they would not shop her to her husband or the authorities.'
Co-accused: Sisters Francesca and Elisabetta Grillo both deny the £300,000 credit card fraud, Isleworth Crown Court heard
The Grillos were employed by Lawson when she was married to first husband, journalist John Diamond, who died of cancer aged 47 in 2001. They stayed on after Nigella married businessman Saatchi two years later, with Francesca being paid £28,000 a year and Elisabetta earning £25,000.
Lawson even gave the pair 'heartfelt thanks' in a dedication in a 2011 cookbook, in which she described them as 'kitchen confidantes'.
Their jobs ranged from looking after her children from her first marriage and Saatchi's daughter by his second wife Kay Hartenstein.
It is alleged that between January 1, 2008 and December 31, 2012, the defendants committed fraud by abusing their positions as PAs by using a company credit card for personal gain.
Nigella Lawson's publicist Mark Hutchinson said: 'As proceedings are live we can't comment at the moment.'
Miss Lawson is expected to give evidence during the trial, which is due to last at least two weeks. Elisabetta and Francesca, both of Bayswater, west London, deny the charges.
The case was adjourned until tomorrow.
Television chef: Nigella Lawson who was married to Charles Saatchi for 10 years before the couple divorced earlier this summer
Divorce: Nigella Lawson and her ex-husband Charles Saatchi, 70, separated this summer after pictures emerged of him with his hand round her neck outside a restaurant in London
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