Baroness Mone and Lynton-Jones settle dispute of racist slur
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Baroness Michelle Mone and Indian-origin financial consultant Richard Lynton-Jones have settled their legal dispute over a “racist slur” after the Baroness paid £50,000 in damages.
The peer’s spokesman told the Mail Online, “Both parties have settled their differences on a no fault or damages basis… and the matter is now concluded.”
The claim was made following a fatal incident in the Mediterranean after the Baroness, who had sailed to the Ile Sainte-Marguerite island in her husband Barrowman’s yacht and Lynton-Jones in another yacht chartered by British internet gaming millionaire Richard Skelhorn, hit each other leading to the death of a 27-year-old British deckhand.
The baroness proceeded to call Lynton-Jones a “waste of a white man’s skin” in a WhatsApp message in 2019, as he seemed to be indifferent to the demise of the person, for which he claimed £200,000 in aggravated damages.
However, Baroness Mone maintained that she thought he was a white British man and it was not said with an intention to be racist towards him.
In her WhatsApp messages to Lynton-Jones, the Founder of lingerie brand Ultimo, reportedly said, “You & your mental loony of a girlfriend have been parting like mad! … You’re a low life, a waste of a man’s white skin so don’t give us your lies. You’re a total disgrace (sic).”
“Now you deal with the police enquiries including your nut case bird,” she added.
Lynton-Jones, whose grandparents came to the UK from India after the Second World War, said that her comments were racist.
“I’ve done nothing wrong apart from being a victim of racism. Racism has no place in this society, let alone for a member of the House of Lords. That’s disgusting,” he said.
According to reports, last year, the Metropolitan Police launched an investigation into the case. In January Lynton-Jones sued her for libel.
Baroness Mone’s representatives said she thought Lynton-Jones had “no trace whatsoever of non-white colouring or any features that would not suggest he was white”.
But the financial consultant accused her of telling lies to defend her “racist remarks”. Now, the criminal investigation has been dropped as the Baroness settled the civil claim, said the reports.
