BREAKING NEWS: Nigella aides found NOT GUILTY of defrauding couple of £685,000 in four-year designer spending spree

 

• Italian sisters found NOT GUILTY of carrying out £685,000 credit card fraud
• Elisabetta and Francesca Grillo were trusted members of Team Cupcake
• Elisabetta, 41, was taken ill and an ambulance was rushed to the court
• Neither of the sisters were in the dock when the verdict was returned
• Francesca was heard declaring 'There is a God!' in Italian moments later
• Their lawyer said the pair were 'naturally relieved' after a 'long hard fight'
• Nigella admitted snorting cocaine and smoking cannabis during the trial
• Aides said spending was authorised in exchange for their silence
• Jury returned their verdict after a three-week trial at Isleworth Crown Court

By Rob Cooper
Two of Nigella Lawson and Charles Saatchi's former aides were today found not guilty of defrauding the celebrity couple of nearly £700,000.
It follows a three-week trial in which the pair made astonishing claims that they saw daily evidence of Miss Lawson taking cocaine.
The verdict will be seen as a major blow to Nigella’s reputation as she maintained throughout that she had only snorted the drug seven times in total.
After the verdict, Scotland Yard said it will not investigate claims that TV cook Nigella Lawson took cocaine but will review the decision if new evidence comes to light.
Italian sister Elisabetta and Francesca Grillo admitted spending thousands of pounds buying designer goods from Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior and Vivienne Westwood using a credit card given to them by Mr Saatchi.

Arrival: Elisabetta Grillo (left) and her sister Francesca (right) arrive at Isleworth Crown Court this morning as the jury prepare to begin a second day of deliberations

Verdict: Francesca Grillo arrives at Isleworth Crown Court as the jury consider whether they are guilty of fraud after a three-week trial

But they maintained throughout that the spending had been authorised.
Neither of the Grillos were in the room as the verdicts were returned because Elisabetta, 41, was taken ill after collapsing in the court.
But there was a cry of 'yes' from the public gallery as the jury foreman said they had found the pair not guilty.
After hearing the verdicts, Francesca could be seen smiling and talking excitedly in Italian on her phone as she was being hugged by a supporter.
And moments later she declared in Italian 'There is a God!' as she was embraced by her barrister Karina Arden.
Anthony Metzer QC, representing Elisabetta, said his client was 'relieved' and 'crying her eyes out'.
Mr Metzer and Ms Arden, turned to each other a few moments after the verdicts were delivered and smiled.
When the judge left the court, they hugged members of the defence team, one of whom was crying what appeared to be tears of joy and relief.
Mr Metzer said he was 'incredibly thrilled and delighted for both of them', and said he wanted to thank the jury for their attention during the trial. He added: 'I'm a bit lost for words.'
He said it had been a 'stressful case' and said the 'medical issues' in relation to Elisabetta made it even harder.
Yesterday Mr Metzer looked shocked and concerned when his client collapsed in court and he told the court she had a history of panic attacks.
She fell down after the judge revealed the jury had sent a note asking for the day's deliberations to be extended.
Before she fainted, Elisabetta had looked increasingly agitated as she waited for the jury to return with a verdict. She was comforted by her sister, who stroked her hair and hugged her after she started crying.
Once she had been taken from the dock to receive treatment, Mr Metzer told the court, in the absence of the jury, that she had 'suffered a severe panic attack that caused her to stop breathing'.
Elisabetta had started breathing again but was unable to stand up and remained in a 'very perilous' state, he added.
As she arrived at court this morning, she collapsed again after being surrounded by photographers and camera crews as she made her way into the building.

'Reputation on trial': Nigella Lawson, 53, admitted snorting cocaine and smoking cannabis during the three-week trial at Isleworth Crown Court

Francesca was accused of spending the largest amount on herself - a sum of £580,000. But the sisters insisted all of their purchases had been authorised.
And in a sensational twist their defence lawyers introduced allegations of drug-taking by Miss Lawson and marital strife involving the celebrity couple.
It was claimed by the defence that there was a culture of secrecy within the high-profile couple's marriage and that the Grillo sisters were aware of Miss Lawson's alleged drug use, while Mr Saatchi was not.

More...

• A doomed, destructive marriage: Nigella complained Saatchi kept her in a 'gold cage' and wrecked her TV career - while HE said he adores her and regrets 'Higella' email that accused her of being off her head on drugs
• Nigella Lawson: Chef confessed to using cocaine seven times - but aides said she wrote cookbooks while on drugs and kept rolled-up notes (and mustard!) in her bag

The defence claimed that Elisabetta's knowledge of Miss Lawson's supposed drug use materially affected the TV cook's attitude towards her spending.
The jury of 12, who deliberated for nearly nine hours, were earlier given a direction by the judge that they could reach a majority verdict.
When the jury were sent out this morning again this morning Judge Robin Johnson explained that the sisters were not in the dock because one of them was unwell.
The judge said: 'You will notice that neither defendant is in the dock. They are in the building.

On trial: Elisabetta Grillo (centre) and her sister Francesca (right) arrive at Isleworth Crown Court along with a member of their legal team (left)

 

Charles Saatchi was a 'very shouty' man who demanded that his kitchen was spotlessly clean by 7am each morning, the jury was told

'One of them is not feeling well, is very anxious and you will appreciate that a criminal trial is a stressful business for many people, no more stressful than for the person on trial, in this case, herself.
'I have said that the defendants can be in another room while court proceedings proceed, with the consent of the barristers.'
During the case, Nigella Lawson dramatically revealed that she had smoked cannabis in front of her children and snorted cocaine.
The TV cook, 53, told the court she had turned to cocaine in 2010 after being subjected to 'intimate terrorism' by Charles Saatchi.
She also admitted snorting the drug six times while married to her late husband John Diamond who died from throat cancer in 2001.
However, Miss Lawson denied claims by the Grillo sisters that she had taken drugs regularly over the last 10 years.
Mr Saatchi and Miss Lawson divorced earlier this year after pictures were published in June which appeared to show the millionaire art dealer 'throttling' his wife outside Scott's restaurant in Mayfair, central London.
Despite the 'heartbreak' of their divorce, Mr Saatchi told the jury he still 'adores' his former wife. However, Miss Lawson made clear that she was happy to move on with her life.

Francesca and Elisabetta Grillo: The sisters who felt like they were family, but gave evidence that threw a bomb under Nigella’s squeaky clean reputation

• Francesca and Elisabetta Grillo worked for Nigella for more than a decade
• Elisabetta first employed as a nanny during Nigella’s to her first husband John Diamond
• Both acted as witnesses to Nigella and Charles Saatchi’s wedding in 2003, and stayed on as personal assistants to the couple
• They earned modest salaries but lived rent free and were showered with gifts by Nigella
• Both claimed they had seen regular evidence of her’s heavy drug use
• Mr Saatchi told the jury he was 'very fond' of the Grillos
• Nigella said Elisabetta had been her ‘rock’ but became increasingly distant

They were two of Nigella Lawson's closest confidantes for a decade.
But when aides Francesca and Elisabetta Grillo were hauled before a court they turned against the TV cook in order to defend themselves and made bombshell claims that she took drugs, wrecking her squeaky clean reputation.
The Italian sisters were two of the most trusted members of Miss Lawson's Team Cupcake and they had spent countless hours caring for her two children.
Charles Saatchi told the court that although the Grillos were employed as PAs they actually had very little work to do. Yet the whole family adored the two Italians and they were kept on to look after the home.                                                                  

  

 

 

During two gruelling days of testimony, Miss Lawson, 53, was asked: 'Are you or have you ever been a user of cocaine?' She replied: 'I have never been a drug addict. I have never been a habitual user. But there were times in my life when I used cocaine'

But after the celebrity couple's marriage collapsed, the once-trusted pair ended up in court charged with lavishing £685,000 on Mr Saatchi's company credit card.
Their relationship with Miss Lawson in ruins, they decided to unleash what they called her 'dark secret' - claims she took drugs.
The court heard Francesca, 35, earned a relatively modest £28,000 a year while her elder sister Elisabetta, 41, took home just £25,000.
But despite their unremarkable pay cheques, they were able to live a 'glossy magazine' lifestyle.
They topped up their salaries with free accommodation - and by lavishing themselves with gifts using Mr Saatchi's Concaro company credit cards.
They were also regularly given presents by Miss Lawson, who once paid £7,000 for Elisabetta to have her teeth fixed, giving her 'incredible confidence'.
The 41-year-old Italian was first employed by Miss Lawson in 1999 while she was married to her first husband, journalist John Diamond.
Elisabetta left her family home in southern Italy in 1999 to work as an au pair for Miss Lawson's two young children in Shepherds Bush, west London.
At the time, she had no idea that the TV cook was a famous television personality.

Charles Saatchi did not skimp when Miss Lawson took a liking to a cashmere jumper, spending more than £2,000 to get not only all the different colours available, but two different sizes as well

Departing from Italy on a flight to Luton in August paid for by Miss Lawson, she told the jury she had been 'excited' to come to London where she had previously lived for five months.
However, two months after arriving, Mr Diamond went in for surgery, so Miss Lawson spent a lot of time in the hospital with him.

'PLEASE FORGIVE US': GROVELLING EMAIL SENT BY GRILLO SISTERS

Please forgive us, urgent and important, private and confidential
Dear Charles and Nigella,
We are at our utmost despair and reaching out to you for help and hope that somewhere in your hearts you will find a way to forgive us and realise that we never meant in any way to seem to be disloyal.
We truly believe that we had a bond like a family.
You were, as you often said to us, our English family and we saw you like a mother and father figure in our lives over these 10-14 years that we have known you.
There is not a worst feeling thinking we have in any way let down our family and we are deeply sorry and full of regret.
All we want to do is put this right and make amends. We have asked our lawyers to try and settle this ongoing nightmare and we plead with you to find a way in your hearts so that we can stop the fighting which is destroying us and make amends with you as soon as possible.
This is all we wanted to do from the beginning of this whole nightmare. From the bottom of our hearts we extend an olive branch in the hope that you will understand we never ever meant to hurt in any way.
Please forgive us and help us put this right.
From Francesca and Elisabetta

Grillo told the court: 'John was a very friendly person, a very strong character, and to see someone like that - it was sad.'
As a nanny she worked from 7am until 7pm, looking after the couple's young children, cleaning and helping with the housework.
Although she didn't have a formal employment contract, she was paid £400 a month cash in hand and became like a 'member of the family'.
Two years later in 2001 Mr Diamond passed away aged 47 after a gruelling four-year battle with throat cancer.
A year later, Elisabetta was given a job by Miss Lawson and the sisters were then kept on when she tied the knot with Charles Saatchi.
However, the court heard she did not go ahead with the ceremony until she had discussed getting married with Elisabetta.
Over time, the millionaire art dealer became 'very fond' of the sisters.
Initially they looked after his own young daughter Phoebe, who is now 19, but their role changed as the children grew older.
Miss Lawson also had her two children living in the family home.
Mr Saatchi told the jury: 'The children adored (the Grillos) and Nigella was very fond of them and I was very fond of them and we didn't want them to go so they stayed on as housekeepers and general assistants.'
Elisabetta later left her job with the family in 2004 before later returning.
However, Miss Lawson said she had become 'increasingly bitter'.
'She was not at all hardworking towards the end,' the TV cook said.
'Most of the time she was on Facebook. I do not think her bitterness was towards me personally. I think it was towards her life.'
The relationship collapsed altogether last year after Mr Saatchi's finance director Rahul Gajjar discovered how much the Grillos had been spending on their credit cards.
Although they initially agreed to pay back the money but became 'agitated' when presented with documents to sign.
They sent a grovelling email to the celebrity couple begging for forgiveness which said 'You were, as you often said to us, our English family.'
Eventually the police were called in.