“Playground-like abuse” allegedly committed by an heir to the Dunhill luxury goods empire escalated into a court battle with one of his oldest friends.
Piers Dunhill-Turner, great-great-grandson of Sir Alfred Dunhill, is accused of launching a bitter campaign against his former business partner Charles Karsten, the son of a judge.
According to a Supreme Court lawsuit, Dunhill-Turner, 29, waged an online war by creating websites that falsely accused Karsten.
Karsten, 30, is suing his former friend for harassment, calling for the online publications to be shut down and demanding £20,000 in compensation.
However, Dunhill-Turner counters with similar accusations. He has denied “any involvement” with the defamatory websites.
Piers Dunhill-Turner (pictured left), great-great-grandson of Sir Alfred Dunhill, is accused of launching a bitter campaign against his former business partner Charles Karsten
Karsten, 30, (pictured) is suing his former friend for harassment, calling for the online publications to be shut down and demanding £20,000 in compensation
Sir Alfred Dunhill (pictured) boosted the family fortune by patenting a special windproof pipe to enable early motorists to smoke
The unseemly debacle is certainly a far cry from the start of the Dunhill dynasty in 1904.
Sir Alfred boosted the family fortune by patenting a special windproof pipe to allow early motorists to smoke while racing around at 4mph.
Dunhill-Turner is described as an entrepreneur and investor. He is in a relationship with Made In Chelsea star Tabitha Willett.
But his decision in 2021 to start an advisory firm for wealthy investors with Karsten ended a friendship they had formed as teenagers.
Supreme Court papers filed by lawyers for Charles, son of former Justice Ian Karsten, allege disagreements arose within months.
Karsten’s lawyers say: “The common goal of the websites is the unlawful harassment of the plaintiff.”
They add that Karsten received offers via WhatsApp in August to shut down the sites for cash.
The messages were sent from a phone registered in Pakistan. With the websites still online, Karsten now feels “helpless and humiliated.”
Dunhill-Turner’s lawyer, Thomas Clark, tells me: “Our client categorically denies all allegations and will shortly file a defense and counterclaim with the court.”
ED MILIBAND, who learned to ride a bike aged 50, got into trouble during the Korean president’s state visit last week.
A passer-by claims the former Labor leader failed to stop near Buckingham Palace.
“The police marched crowds along the mall,” the onlooker tells me. “Miliband swayed and a policewoman shouted at him.”
Love blooms for Napoleon’s Josephine
Vanessa Kirby, 35, has “gone public” with her boyfriend, American lacrosse player Paul Rabil, 37 (pictured, together)
Has Vanessa Kirby found her Napoleon? The 35-year-old British actress, who plays Josephine (inset below) opposite Joaquin Phoenix in Sir Ridley Scott’s latest film Napoleon, has gone public with her boyfriend, American lacrosse player Paul Rabil, 37 “.
He shared a series of snaps of the couple, including one hugging on the beach.
“From the minute we first met in Des Moines, around the world and back, life with you is so much better, more purposeful and more beautiful,” he wrote of the privately educated Londoner.
The couple have been spotted together several times since last year, but they have kept their budding romance a secret.
Rabil is co-founder of the Premier Lacrosse League. Kirby won a Bafta for her role as Princess Margaret in Netflix hit The Crown.
Britain’s Prime Minister Sir Edward Dashwood may be living up to his name.
The 59-year-old faces a driving ban after he was allegedly caught speeding in his Toyota Land Cruiser in Penryn, Cornwall, in January.
Cornwall Magistrates’ Court has adjourned the case at the defense’s request as the JPs consider imposing a driving license suspension.
Sir Edward, whose relative founded the notorious Hellfire Club, is expected to appear at Bodmin Court in March to learn his fate.
His ancestral home, West Wycombe Park in Buckinghamshire, was the setting for countless films, including The Music Lovers.
Pacino lover turned 30 with pure elegance
Noor Alfallah (pictured) wore a sheer black dress for the party at Chinese restaurant Formoso Cafe in Hollywood
Al Pacino’s young girlfriend Noor Alfallah clearly has a lot to celebrate.
She had a lavish three-tiered cake at the Sony film producer’s 30th birthday party over the weekend.
Alfallah wore a sheer black dress for the party at Chinese restaurant Formoso Cafe in Hollywood.
She has a five-month-old baby boy, Roman, with the Oscar winner, 83, pictured alongside Noor.
Pacino was recently ordered to pay her £24,000 a month in child support.
It’s not clear why she decided to go to court, as the couple are reportedly still dating.
The Scarface star will also donate 6 per cent of his gross annual income to Alfallah, which equates to over £2 million.
When Foyle’s War star Honeysuckle Weeks split from her husband, aristocratic hypnotherapist Lorne Stormonth Darling, she posted a picture online of a sign with her initials L&H and pink hearts burning on a bonfire and wrote: “Bye, Before.”
Now the 44-year-old actress is in mourning.
Lorne’s family have announced that he died “unexpectedly” at the age of 60 earlier this month. They describe him as “legendary.”
A dealer in Tibetan antiques at the time, he married Weeks in an impromptu Buddhist wedding ceremony while vacationing in the Himalayas in 2005.
They had a more traditional wedding in Barlavington, West Sussex, in 2007 and their son Wade was born four years later. The couple finally separated in 2019.
Lorne’s funeral will take place next week.
Uri anger at Lineker over Israeli claims
Psychic spoon bender Uri Geller (pictured) removed Gary Lineker’s spoon from his cutlery-covered Cadillac
Psychic spoon bender Uri Geller has removed Gary Lineker’s spoon from his cutlery-covered Cadillac to protest his “disgusting comments about Israel”.
The Match Of The Day host shared an interview with an Israeli academic who described the situation in Gaza as “textbook genocide.”
“There are more than 2,000 people with spoons on my car and Lineker is the only one who was disgraced,” the illusionist tells me. “Nobody who accuses Israel of genocide has a place in my car.”
The custom-built vehicle is adorned with curved spoons owned, used or touched by the likes of Donald Trump and Saddam Hussein.
Chic actor Hugh Grant, who has settled down with Swedish businesswoman Anna Eberstein, laments the decline in romantic affairs between actors during film shoots.
“Of course, people were there for each other on film sets back then,” Grant recalls in the new film documentary “Merchant Ivory,” which profiles the acclaimed period drama production team.
“Now everyone just looks at their cell phone.” There is no interaction at all, but back then there was an underlying lust on the film sets.”