Estranged husband of Swedish multi-millionairess, 33, faces jail after failing to appear at hearings during bitter divorce battle over money that saw her ordered to pay him £6.5million plus £60,000 a year
- The husband of a Swedish millionaire could be jailed for breaching court orders
- He was formerly awarded £6.5million of his wife’s £250million fortune in court
The estranged husband of a Swedish multi-millionaire could be jailed for breaching court orders during a bitter divorce battle, a London judge has warned.
Louise Backstrom, 33, and Martin Wennberg, 39, have been embroiled in a fierce legal dispute in London’s High Court following the breakdown of their marriage in 2021.
A London judge previously said Ms Backstrom, who is worth £250million, must pay her estranged husband £6.5million, after he initially asked the court to award him £40million.
However, Mr Wennberg could now be jailed after High Court judge Mr Justice Peel found the 39-year-old ‘guilty’ of ’10 separate breaches of court orders’ in March.
The 39-year-old’s ‘liberty’ is now ‘at stake’ after the judge said he will sentence him on 4 July 2023 following Mr Wennberg’s failure to attend a sentencing hearing on Monday.
Louise Backstrom, 33, was ordered to give her estranged husband Martin Wennberg, 39, more than £6.5million following the breakdown of their six year marriage
Mr Justice Peel concluded in March that Mr Wennberg was ‘guilty’ of ’10 separate breaches’ of orders and was due to make decisions about sentencing on Monday.
However, the Royal Courts of Justice judge adjourned decisions on sentencing until next month, after Mr Wennberg said he could not attend Monday’s hearing.
He said sanctions could include imprisonment while noting that Mr Wennberg’s ‘liberty’ was ‘at stake’.
A barrister representing Swedish multimillionaire Ms Backstrom said sentencing should not be delayed.
Michael Glaser KC said Mr Wennberg had failed to appear at a number of hearings and described his behaviour as ‘contemptuous’.
Mr Justice Peel said he was ‘somewhat sceptical’ about the circumstances of Mr Wennberg’s ‘absence’.
He added that ‘sanctions’ may ‘include imprisonment’ and told the hearing that he had decided to adjourn.
‘It may be said that this is a cautious approach,’ Mr Justice Peel added.
‘But given the nature of these proceedings, and the fact that the husband’s liberty is at stake, it seems to be I should proceed in that cautious way.’
A judge determined Swedish businesswoman Louise Backstrom (pictured) has a net worth of around £250million
The judge’s statements come after another judge made decisions about the division of money between the Swedish couple earlier this month.
Deputy High Court judge Leslie Samuels concluded Ms Backstrom has a net worth of around £250 million.
The judge, in turn, ruled the businesswoman should hand her estranged husband more than £6.5 million, following the breakdown of their six-year marriage.
He was told the Swedish couple lived in England, and heard that Ms Backstrom was involved in a family business started and controlled by her grandfather.
Mr Wennberg had initially called on the court to award him a financial package worth more than £40 million.
Judge Samuels heard Ms Backstrom had made a £6.5 million ‘housing fund’ offer in accordance with the terms of a pre-marital agreement – and concluded that the agreement should carry ‘full weight’.
He said Ms Backstrom should also hand over about £60,000 a year over the next six years to meet Mr Wennberg’s ‘income needs’.
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