Terrified: Michelle Young (pictured) fears assassins may want her dead
Michelle Young had just finished decorating the Christmas tree in her small London flat when she received the 10pm phone call that would take her family 'to hell and back'.
Her ex-husband, disgraced multi-millionaire tycoon Scot Young, 52, was believed to have died in the most horrific of circumstances: impaled on railings after falling 60ft from the fourth-floor window of a luxury £3 million penthouse in Montagu Square, central London.
Michelle was shaken to the core by the late-night call from a journalist — her first desperate thoughts turning to their daughters Scarlet, 22, and Sacha, 20, who were out for the evening.
'I was shocked and horrified but didn't know if it was true because the police hadn't informed us,' says Michelle, 50, who received the call more than 24 hours after Scot's death.
'It was so late and I didn't know what to think. I was in a terrible state, completely bewildered and confused. I just felt heartbroken for my girls. I couldn't understand why we hadn't heard from the police if it had really happened.
'The whole thing was a nightmare. I didn't sleep at all that night. I didn't know what I was going to tell the girls and felt scared because of the horrible nature of Scot's death. What can you say when you don't know anything? It was all so horrific and inexplicable.
'Since then, it has been traumatic. Christmas just passed by in a blur of tears. I'm trying to stay strong for the girls and stay positive, but it's so difficult. I just feel this complete emptiness, my mind filled with the worry 'What happens now?' '
Today, almost eight weeks after Scot's apparent suicide, one look at Michelle's gaunt features indicates that this journey to hell is far from over. If anything, it may be just beginning.
Bone-thin and initially jittery, she looks nervous and scared.
In this, her first interview since Scot's death, she bears little resemblance to the steely, glamorous blonde campaigner who for eight years relentlessly pursued her ex-husband through the law courts in the most high-profile, acrimonious and expensive divorce battle this country has seen.
Missing millions: Scot Young, pictured with his girlfriend Noelle Reno, an American former model
At the height of hostilities Scot Young called her a 'greedy cow' whose dogged pursuit of the millions which evaporated following their 2006 divorce had left him broken.
Michelle, however, rejects any suggestion that he was a pitiful, penniless bankrupt brought to his knees by a bitter ex-wife and hounded to death. She believes that much darker forces were at work.
'His death has nothing to do with me,' she insists. 'I certainly didn't hound him to his death. I don't feel guilty and I don't have any regrets. For me it was never about greed or money, it was about justice and doing my best to protect my girls.
'Scot tried to cheat me out of my rightful share of assets built up during our marriage. It wasn't his fortune, it was our fortune. He left me and the girls destitute and with the help of third parties hid our assets in offshore accounts.'
The story she now relates could have leapt straight from the pages of a John Grisham conspiracy thriller, had Scot's death not been so horrifyingly real.
Michelle rejects any suggestion that he was a pitiful, penniless bankrupt brought to his knees by a bitter ex-wife and hounded to death
Certainly, reports of the last hours of his mysterious and secretive life paint a picture of a man stricken by mental illness, drink and cocaine addiction, whose world was unravelling before his gruesome end on December 8.
He had recently split from his fiancee Noelle Reno, an American former model and socialite who starred in the reality TV show Ladies of London — in which he featured, looking a pale shadow of his former self.
On the morning of his death, Scot walked out of an emergency mental health facility and turned up unexpectedly at the £8,000-a-month apartment he rented with Noelle.
Sources claimed he was 'manic' and 'crazy', possibly high on drugs. Neighbours, it was said, heard arguing. Noelle fled the apartment and reportedly dialled 999, asking officers to remove Scot from the property after he threatened to harm himself.
Before police could arrive, Scot fell to his death. Friends said he had been 'heartbroken' over losing Noelle.
But in a startling series of revelations, Michelle says she is not convinced Scot killed himself or had a horrible accident. She believes he may have been the victim of foul play; his death linked to his secretive web of business deals.
Dramatic as it may seem, Michelle fears Scot could have been murdered; silenced by 'third parties' who wanted the secrets of his complex business dealings and whereabouts of his wealth to die with him.
Certainly, after his death there was talk of Scot Young the 'fixer' of shady deals, allegations of money laundering, possible links to the notorious London gangland Adams family and of money owed to the Russian and Turkish mafia.
Sources spoke of Scot being dangled from a balcony at the Dorchester hotel two years ago as a warning, leading to fevered speculation about his last moments: did he jump or was he pushed?
Whatever happened, Michelle is now worried enough about her own safety to have asked the Metropolitan Police to install a panic alarm in her home — they refused, saying there was no serious risk.
She said: 'His death has nothing to do with me. I certainly didn't hound him to his death. I don't feel guilty and I don't have any regrets'
She disagrees, claiming that in the weeks before Scot's death she was informed by her team of private investigators — tasked with finding his hidden fortune — that she was being followed. She has consequently lodged documents with trusted associates in case anything untoward happens to her.
'I could never imagine him committing suicide, not the Scot I knew,' says Michelle. 'He had a terrible phobia of heights. When we were married, whenever we stayed in a hotel he'd never look over the balcony because it petrified him.
'Scot would never have even leant out of a window, so I can't imagine it could have been an accident, either. I don't know what happened but it all seems so highly suspicious.
'Scott had been diagnosed with bipolar and I was aware that he had developed a problem with drugs and was drinking heavily. But he never indicated to me or anyone else, as far as I know, that he was suicidal.
'What I do believe is that he was very frightened; that if my team continued to unravel his offshore accounts, then he might be facing criminal fraud charges and the names of very powerful people and their links to him would be exposed.'
Scotland Yard has dismissed claims of foul play. But Michelle insists: 'I fear there are people involved in this who could be capable of murder, based on the number of worrying deaths of other people linked to Scot, his connections and because the stakes are so high.'
Michelle is referring to reports of the so-called 'Ring of Death'. Scot is the fifth member of a group of close friends and business associates who all died in similar circumstances over the past four years.
No comments:
Post a Comment