James Stunt ‘didn’t know forging signature to buy Warhol painting was an offence’
SOCIALITE James Stunt has told a court he did not know it was an offence to ask his assistant to forge his signature so he could buy an Andy Warhol painting.
The 40-year-old sent an email to Francesca Sota telling her “please forge my signature” so he could draw £320,000 from one of his bank accounts.
But he said at the time he was “jacked up on morphine” in a US hospital after a tennis injury.
The former son-in-law of F1 tycoon Bernie Ecclestone told Leeds Cloth Hall court: “I didn’t know this was even an offence.
"I didn’t mean forgery.
"I meant, ‘Please make my signature in my name’.”
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Stunt is one of eight defendants on trial over an alleged multi-million-pound money-laundering operation.
All deny the charges.
Stunt and Sota also deny forgery.
The trial continues.
