Holly Valance’s brother-in-law Christian Candy denies bullying ex-Neighbour’s star’s husband Nick in £132million legal case
HOLLY Valance's brother-in-law has denied bullying the ex Neighbour's star's husband as the brothers battle a £132m legal case.
A High Court judge was told about the "massive" love of one Candy brother for the other after Christian Candy was described as "aggressive and controlling".
A drunken video of Nick Candy is at the centre of the High Court battle.
Holyoake threatened to release an "embarrassing" and drunken video of the tycoon, a civil court heard.
A judge heard Nick Candy wanted the footage of his "drunken behaviour" at an Ibiza villa destroyed as its use breaches data protection.
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Billionaire tycoon Christian, 42, and his brother Nick — the husband of the Aussie singer and actress — are fighting a claim by developer Mark Holyoake for £132million in damages.
The claim is against both Christian and Nick, who are best known for creating the luxury One Hyde Park apartment complex in Knightsbridge, central London.
Mr Holyoake, 44, alleges the brothers subjected him and his family to a campaign of intimidation, including threats against his then pregnant wife, Emma, after a property deal went wrong.
Mrs Holyoake told the court that links between the Candy brothers and several high-profile figures who died in mysterious circumstances "made me fear for my husband's life".
She described Christian as "aggressive and controlling" and said actress Holly, who had been a friend, had described to her how her husband was bullied by his younger brother.
She claimed the former Neighbours star had confided to her how Nick had once been so distraught by Christian's behaviour he had "lain down in a foetal position on the floor of a hotel room and wept inconsolably".
The court had already heard claims that Christian thought his brother’s wife had a “dubious” background and tried to dissuade Nick, 44, from marrying her.
But today Christian Candy told the court at the start of at least three days of cross-examination: "I love my brother massively."
Mr Holyoake borrowed £12 million from Christian Candy's company CPC in October 2011 to help him buy Grosvenor Gardens House in Belgravia, London, to convert into a luxury property for a substantial profit.
He gave evidence that he eventually paid back more than £37m on the two-year loan and had to sell up at a loss of £100m in potential profits after incurring millions of pounds in legal fees and other costs.
He is accusing the Candy brothers of being involved in a conspiracy against him to obtain Grosvenor Gardens House at a lower value, or to extort "very significant" sums of money from him and his company, Hotblack.
Christian Candy has previously told the High Court he is a “a hard negotiator when I need to be” but dismissed claims of intimidation against him as “nothing short of preposterous”.
Roger Stewart QC, appearing for Mr Holyoake, suggested to Christian Candy that he and Nick were jointly involved in the running of the highly successful Guernsey-registered company CPC.
Christian told the court there was no partnership agreement with his brother and CPC "is 100per cent owned by me";.
The Candy brothers deny the charges “in their entirety”.
The case continues.
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