An 83-year-old businessman has been jailed for 14 months for ‘serious contempt’ after his ex-wife was awarded £3.5m in their divorce settlement.

His Honour Judge Wildblood QC, in sentencing remarks published yesterday, said John Ralph Hart “is a man who has received repeated warnings already that he must comply with court orders and he has chosen, repeatedly, not to do so”.

Alex Carruthers commented:

“The judgment is a ‘timely reminder’ that where court orders, in divorce cases, are persistently and deliberately breached, the court has ‘very draconian powers’ to ensure orders are enforced.”

Read Alex’s comments in The Law Society Gazette

Read Alex’s comments in Lawyer Monthly