A Bradford businessman told a Court how his former lover arranged for a hitman to shoot him after an argument over a £200,000 bingo jackpot win.
Anthony Peter Scaife, of Bradford, claimed police still had a warrant for the arrest of the gunman known only as Charlie.
Mr Scaife was speaking on the second day of a bitter court battle between himself and ex-girlfriend Angela Thompson, over the £209,000 win. Mr Scaife, 43, is suing Mrs Thompson for a cut of the mammoth win.Dressed in a three-quarter length jacket and suit trousers, tanned Mr Scaife, of Ridings Hill, Shelf, told Huddersfield County Court yesterday the threat to his life was made before he was to appear at a court hearing last June centred around preventing the disposal of assets. He said: I was told I was going to be shot. I took it very seriously. It was the third time I had been threatened.
Mr Scaife told the court the gunman was working on behalf of Mrs Thompson and was known only as Charlie.
He claimed to have been given a panic button by the police after he reported the death threats.
But Ian Newbon, counsel for Angela Thompson, said during cross examination that there had been no mention of the death threats in Mr Scaife's original statements put before the court.
Mr Newbon said he had been in touch with the police who had dealt with various allegations from both Mr Scaife and Mrs Thompson.
He said the police had not taken any action against either party and were sick to death of the whole situation.
His Honour Judge Cockroft twice urged the parties to settle their differences and come to a financial agreement - but to no avail. Earlier the court heard how Mrs Thompson, 53, and Mr Scaife had started three businesses and ploughed thousands into running their family home during a three-year marriage.
But Mrs Thompson, of Shelf, Bradford, said the relationship turned sour when she won £209,000 at the bingo on January 18 last year.
She told the court that Mr Scaife and his new lover Debbie Rymer had locked her out of the new shop the married couple had started together after their relationship broke down.
Under questioning from her counsel Mrs Thompson said Mr Scaife had put virtually no money into her businesses - a wedding car hire firm, rented property and a curtain and carpet shop in Manchester Road, Bradford. She said she had used her bank credit facilities to finance the various start-ups as well as money from her bingo win. But Mr Scaife lodged the County Court Case to claim money and property from his time with Mrs Thompson who is refuting his claim and says she is still owed money. He told the court yesterday (June 8): I really want to end up coming away from here with some money out of the £70-85,000 that I put in and a property in Bottomley Street which is in Mrs Thompson's name that has a £25,000 mortgage on it. Two months ago the Telegraph & Argus revealed how Mrs Rymer was ordered by a Bradford County Court judge to repay more than £40,000 to David Longbottom, a Bradford milkman and former neighbour, who had handed over £50,000 of his life savings after becoming infatuated with her.
In court yesterday (June 8) it was heard that three-times married Mr Scaife was also in court when Mrs Rymer's case was being heard.
Ironically Mrs Rymer was sitting at the back of Huddersfield County Court as Mr Sciafe gave his evidence.
The case continues.
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