A powerboat world record-breaking businessman groped a young woman between her legs outside Britain’s most famous yacht club, a jury heard today.
Peter Bonham Christie, 39, is accused of ‘lunging’ at the 27-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, when she was smoking outside London’s Royal Thames Yacht Club – of which Prince Andrews is commodore.
Bonham Christie, of Lymington, Hampshire, whose company specialises in the transportation of classic and luxury cars, pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting the woman on November 30, 2018.
Earlier that night the University of Portsmouth graduate had dined at auction house Bonhams, where he had also given a speech and taken a client to five-star Claridge’s in Mayfair, Isleworth Crown Court was told.
Bonham Christie is an old boy of £40,000 a-year Millfield School and a member of the 245-year-old exclusive private members-only Royal Thames Yacht Club.
Peter Bonham Christie, 39, is accused of ‘lunging’ at the 27-year-old when she was smoking in the early hours outside London’s Royal Thames Yacht Club
Founded in 1775, the Royal Thames Yacht Club is the oldest continuously operating yacht club in the world as well as being the oldest royal yacht club
Prosecutor Emma Smith told the jury Bonham Christie followed the woman, who was attending a drinks evening, and fellow member Andrew Sutherland, 60, outside.
She had attended a function for younger club members with her boyfriend, but he had left and it was the first time she had been introduced to Bonham Christie, Isleworth Crown Court heard.
‘You will hear from her how he went up to her, put his hand between her legs and how he grabbed her crotch,’ Ms Smith said.
‘She did not say anything because she was so shocked, but pushed him off and said: ‘What are you doing?’ The defendant apologised to Mr Sutherland, but not to her and went back into the club.
‘Mr Sutherland will describe being outside and having a cigarette and the defendant coming outside and coming up to the complainant, lunging at her and grabbing her crotch.
Bonham Christie, of Lymington, Hampshire, whose company specialises in the transportation of cars, pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting the woman on November 30, 2018
Based in Knightsbridge, just half a mile from Buckingham Palace, it is the world’s oldest continuously operating yacht club
‘The following morning he received a call from this defendant, who apologised and said: ‘You’ve got to get me out of a hole’.
‘He asked for the woman’s phone number and Mr Sutherland thought it was not appropriate to hand over her details.’
The prosecutor went on: ‘What was the hole Mr Bonham Christie had to get out of? Was it because he sexually assaulted her in the way she and Mr Sutherland will describe to you?’
The woman reported the incident to the club and in March 2019 told the police.
Bonham Christie, a self-styled entrepreneur born in Bath who sold his first office water cooler company for over £1million utilising water sourced on his family’s Dorset property, attended Kensington Police Station on March 26, 2019.
‘He described Mr Sutherland as being very drunk and that Mr Sutherland had made comments about he, Mr Bonham Christie, taking cocaine,’ the prosecutor said.
‘In that background Mr Bonham Christie went outside to ‘have a word’ with Mr Sutherland and they had a friendly argument and he went back into the club
‘He said he had been drinking, but had not touched her.’
Bonham Christie represented GB in sailing and skiing at just 13, and once received an award from the Royal Yachting Association for breaking the offshore powerboat world speed record.
The trial continues tomorrow.
Royal Thames Yacht Club: The UK’s oldest continuously operating club
Today the club’s Commodore is Prince Andrew, the Duke of York
The Royal Thames Yacht Club, founded in 1775 and headquartered in Knightsbridge, London, is Britain’s oldest continuously operating yacht club.
Its royal links go back centuries when Prince Harry the Duke of Cumberland, brother of King George III, put up a silver cup for a race on the Thames. Past commodores include several monarchs.
The club is involved in a range of yachting events for cruising and racing yachtsman, motor yacht owners and those interested in the sea.
According to the club, its goal is: ‘To provide the members with outstanding yacht cruising, racing and social opportunities in the UK and internationally, building on the Club’s unique heritage, central London facilities and close reciprocal relationships with other leading yacht clubs around the world.’
The club has had many distinguished Flag Officers and traditionally the Commodore has been a member of the Royal Family.
Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma was Commodore for 20 years and today the club’s Commodore is Prince Andrew, the Duke of York.
The Patron of the Club is the Duke of Edinburgh, who is currently in hospital, and the Admiral is Prince Charles the Prince of Wales.
In October the Mail reported that the club’s senior members discussed removing Andrew as its head. Leaked minutes from the meeting show that the club has had repeated discussions with Buckingham Palace on dumping former Navy helicopter pilot Andrew.
Vice Commodore George Ehlers said the club’s general committee ‘believe it is appropriate… that these discussions should continue’.
The reference to ‘changing developments’ is believed to relate to the pressure that led to Andrew being forced to resign from his public duties after his car-crash Newsnight interview over his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.