This is the moment an allegedly bent Met Police officer and a Soho nightclub boss call up two escorts to an apartment following a night out – as the cop stands trial charged with taking bribes.
Frank Partridge, 49, is accused of accepting handouts including three tickets for Manchester United games, bespoke suits, home renovations and family holidays in Morocco.
He was responsible for licensing in London‘s West End between 2013 and 2015 and is also said to have been gifted nights at strip clubs, received invited to Elton John‘s home and tickets to a Metallica concert.
Partridge is standing trial at Southwark Crown Court alongside Cirque le Soir boss Ryan Bishti, 43.
A video played to the court of the pair, who were being investigated by the Met’s anti-corruption unit at the time, shows Partridge arriving at Bishti’s apartment in Battersea following a night out in 2015, The Sun reports.
Video footage played to a jury at Southwark Crown Court allegedly showed two sex workers arriving in the lobby of an apartment building Partridge and Bishti were at following a night out
Frank Partridge, 49, is accused of accepting handouts including three tickets for Manchester United games, bespoke suits, home renovations and family holidays in Morocco
Partridge is standing trial at Southwark Crown Court alongside Cirque le Soir boss Ryan Bishti, 43
Bishti is seen meeting two women in the lobby of the building, before they leave an hour later, with the nightclub boss having saved one of the prostitute’s number in his phone as ‘Brass’, the court heard – a slang term for a sex worker.
Others accused of involvement include Terry Neil, 55, the boss of security firm TSS, who are accused of conspiracy to commit bribery between February 2013 and June 2015.
Neil’s ex-wife Soraya Henderson, 57, and Eamonn Mulholland, 55, and Anna Ginandes, 45, also face the same conspiracy charge.
Jurors have hard Partridge got on ‘very well’ with Mulholland, the owner of the West End nightclub ‘Beat’, after first meeting when talking about football.
But the police officer insisted he brought a signed Wayne Rooney shirt himself and tickets for three Manchester Utd games including the derby with Manchester City were purchased himself ‘at the ground.’
Giving evidence, Partridge said: ‘We both supported the same football team. We often spoke about football. After [our initial meeting] we spoke about going to see Manchester United.’
‘The first time it was Manchester City vs. Manchester United at the City stadium. The second time was Manchester United and a Man City game at Manchester United.
‘Then Manchester United vs. Arsenal quite soon after that I believe. We bought tickets at the grounds.’
Addressing accusations he received a shirt signed by England legend Rooney as a bribe, he added: ‘I purchased both shirts. I believe I bought them on the grounds at the Manchester United shop.
Bishti is seen meeting two women in the lobby of the building, before they leave an hour later
‘I could get them signed for me so I thought they would probably be a great gift for my son. I thought it was somebody who was with Eamonn [who arranged it], I don’t think it was Eamonn who actually arranged that. I thought it was someone called Mark.
‘I wanted to give it to my son as a gift so initially we purchased the frame from Ikea to try and frame it. It was harder than I thought so I had a conversation with Eamonn.
‘My wife and I tried several times [to frame the shirts] but it wasn’t an easy thing to do. Every time we tried it, it ended up with a scrunched-up shirt in a large frame.
‘Eamonn arranged for someone he knew to have it framed. I tried to repay him, but he wouldn’t have it. He said at the time [it cost] about £50.
‘I asked him several times but he wouldn’t have it. We actually bumped into each other in Soho and we went for lunch and I paid for lunch. He was annoyed about it.’
Speaking of his close relationship with co-defendant Terry Neil, Partridge told jurors: ‘We were good friends. We both bonded over a couple of mutual things. He was going through a divorce at the time.’
Partridge also confirmed that he sought help from Neil ‘very frequently’.
He agreed there was a ‘notion’ of security enjoying good relations with the police licencing department at the time of his offending.
Commenting on his style of policing, Partridge said: ‘I was very proactive, dealing with incidents. Reactive is reacting to crimes. Waiting for things to happen.
‘Proactive is dealing with risks, trying to stop them from happening again. The whole reason is to reduce the risk of crime. [I was] being active, engaging with license holders, having meetings.
‘I would show my face, have a quick chat. I was always described as proactive by supervisors, by line managers. I took it as a compliment.’
Married Partridge, of Wing, Buckinghamshire, has admitted three counts of bribery, accepting that he received a made-to-measure suit, bespoke shirts and tickets to events, including the Wireless Festival and a Metallica show.
But he denies eight counts of conspiracy to commit bribery and five further charges of bribery, between 1 February 2013 and 25 June 2015.
The former officer specifically denies he received the services of a professional escort.
Ryan Bishti, from south Kensington, Ginandes, of Camden, Neil, of Slough, Henderson, of Flackwell Heath, High Wycombe, Mulholland, of Islington, all deny two counts of conspiracy to commit bribery and two counts of bribery during that same period.
The trial continues.
