Philip Green: US court delays sex assault hearing
Sir Philip Green's hearing on sex assault charges in the US has been postponed until next month.
The Topshop tycoon, 67, was due in court in Tucson, Arizona, yesterday to face charges over a series of alleged assaults on his personal trainer between January 2016 and January 2018.
But his lawyers asked for the hearing to be postponed until February 20 so they could have longer to gather evidence.
Sir Philip was charged with four misdemeanour counts of knowingly touching "with the intent to injure, insult or provoke" in May last year, which he has denied.
It is the first time that he has faced criminal proceedings over alleged misconduct.
Last month it was revealed by the Telegraph that Sir Philip's lawyers were paying for information about a woman who has accused the billionaire of groping her at a luxury ranch.
The tycoon's attorneys have hired a firm of private detectives to investigate Katie Surridge ahead of his assault trial in the US.
Documents show that Sir Philip has lodged a formal request for Ms Surridge’s employment records.
They have also engaged the services of Inter-state Investigative Services, a firm of private detectives based in Arizona.
It comes after Ms Surridge, a 38-year-old mother of two, told the Telegraph that the tycoon groped her on two occasions at the luxury Canyon Ranch health club in Tucson.
