09th March 2006
Newspaper Articles re 'Not Guilty!' (Again!)
Front Page of Woolwich & Plumstead News:
From South London Press:
Courtney cleared of beating former wife.
A GANGLAND author who claimed his ex-wife attacked him "like a banshee" has been cleared by a court of beating her up.
Dave Courtney was accused of trying to throttle Jennifer Pinto at their Plumstead home in May last year, before cracking three of her ribs in a vicious body slam wrestling move.
But the gangster-turned-writer insisted she attacked him after he published details of her private life on his website.
Speaking outside court, Mr Courtney said: "This has been the most hurtful year of my life. I can't say I'm overjoyed because I didn't actually do it.
"The only people that shout 'yes' when they get not guilty is if they actually done it."
The court heard the couple had a volatile 12-year relationship and frequently argued.
Miss Pinto, 34, had claimed her ex-husband injured three of her ribs in a domestic row. Mr Courtney did not give evidence during the week-long trial but claimed his ex-wife concocted the assault allegation.
In police interview tapes played to the jury, he described her as "no shrinking violet".
The jury took about 80 minutes to clear him at the Inner London Crown Court on Friday.
Mr Courtney, of Camelot Castle, Chestnut Rise, Plumstead, denied the charge and was found not guilty of one charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
However, Judge Peter Grobel ticked him off for dropping his trousers and signing autographs while outside court.
Article in Newsshopper:
Gangster is no wife beater
The self-confessed killer was accused of trying to throttle wife Jennifer Pinto, before cracking three ribs in a vicious body slam wrestling move after a row about a gas bill.
But gangster-turned-author Mr Courtney insisted Miss Pinto attacked him "like a banshee" after he published details of her alleged affair with another woman on his website. A relationship which she denies.
On June 11, a jury, at Inner London Crown Court, cleared him of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, on May 9, last year.
The court heard from Mr Courtney how he, Miss Pinto and Miss Bostock ex-lover of Steve McFadden, who plays EastEnders hardman Phil Mitchell were having a three way sexual relationship. The 44-year-old told police officers Miss Bostock had been a "wedding present" from his wife.
However, 18 months ago, the gangster was hospitalised for five months following a car crash after which, he says, the two women had become closer and plotted to run off "into the sunset" together.
He told the jury, of six men and six women, his rapper wife attacked him in their bedroom and, when he tried to restrain her, he lost his balance and fell on top of her.
He said: "She started laughing and shouting like I'd just given her a winning Lottery ticket and said: Thank you, now I have a reason to leave you' but she had attacked me like a banshee."
Their five-year-old daughter Courtney de Courtney was playing downstairs in the family's living room at the time.
Relaxing in the garden of his home, Camelot Castle, Chestnut Rise, Plumstead, after being cleared Mr Courtney, told News Shopper: "I'm hurt it has come to this. I cannot understand why she Miss Pinto did it. I used to worship the ground she walked on but now she has sold herself down the river."
Mr Courtney served time in Belmarsh Prison for attacking five Chinese waiters with their own meat cleaver in 1981.
Eight years later he was acquitted of a gangland murder only to brazenly admit on the steps of the court he was, in fact, guilty.
Since splitting with his wife Mr Courtney has been dating 23-year-old model Taz Taylor.
Article in The Scotsman:
11:36am
(UK)
©2004
Scotsman.com
Ex-Gangster
Cleared
of
Attacking
Wife
By
Melvyn
Howe,
PA
News
Former
gangster
Dave
Courtney
was
cleared
today
of
attacking
his
wife
after
a
row
over
her
alleged
lesbian
affair
with
the
ex-partner
of
EastEnders
star
Steve
McFadden.
The
shaven-headed
heavy,
who
has
reinvented
himself
in
recent
years
as
an
actor
and
author,
was
accused
of
using
a
“wrestling
move”
to
hurl
her
to
the
floor.
Jennifer
Pinto
claimed
he
then
fell
on
top
of
her,
trapping
her
under
his
16
stone
frame
and
cracking
three
of
her
ribs.
But
her
husband,
a
self-confessed
killer,
claimed
he
was
the
one
who
had
been
assaulted.
The
45-year-old
–
whose
association
with
the
likes
of
the
notorious
Kray
twins
and
Lenny
McLean
earned
him
the
tag
of
“The
Yellow
Pages
of
the
Underworld”
–
said
he
had
no
choice
but
defend
himself.
Unfortunately,
he
was
on
crutches
following
a
serious
car
accident
and
when
he
grabbed
her
arm
they
both
lost
their
balance.
The
six-man,
six-woman
jury,
trying
him
at
Inner
London
Crown
Court
took
just
over
an
hour
to
decide
he
was
telling
the
truth
and
clear
him
of
one
count
of
causing
actual
bodily
harm
on
May
9
last
year.
He
showed
no
reaction
as
the
unanimous
verdict
was
announced,
but
a
crowd
of
his
supporters
cheered
and
burst
into
a
round
of
applause.
Outside
court
Courtney
said:
“I
can’t
say
I’m
overjoyed
because
I
didn’t
actually
do
it.
“The
only
people
that
shout
’yes’
when
they
get
a
Not
Guilty
is
if
they
actually
done
it.”
Pausing
briefly
to
thank
individual
jurors
as
they
passed,
he
then
said
he
had
no
plans
to
celebrate,
explaining:
“I
did
that
last
night.
The
result
was
a
foregone
conclusion.”
The
one-time
villain,
the
inspiration
for
Vinnie
Jones’
character
Chris
in
Lock,
Stock
and
Two
Smoking
Barrels,
then
strolled
off.
art
from
the
vaguest
of
hints
–
claims
that
Miss
Pinto
was
planning
a
book
entitled
Living
With
A
Gangsters
–
nothing
emerged
about
Courtney’s
colourful
past.
Certainly
there
was
no
mention
of
the
books
he
had
written
containing
accounts
of
him
being
shot,
stabbed,
having
his
nose
bitten
off
and
killing
a
man
to
save
his
life.
Instead,
the
four-day
trial
heard
how
the
couple’s
confrontation
at
their
home
in
Chestnut
Rise,
Plumstead,
south-east
London,
proved
to
be
the
culmination
of
a
“volatile”
13-year
relationship.
Miss
Pinto,
34,
claimed
she
was
attacked
after
she
complained
about
being
treated
like
a
slave.
The
mother-of-three
said
Courtney
first
grabbed
her
round
the
neck
and
then
hurled
her
to
the
floor.
She
denied
defence
suggestions
that
she
had
been
the
aggressor
and
had
set
about
her
husband
“like
a
banshee”.
Although
agreeing
she
had
been
angry
over
Courtney’s
website
claims
that
she
had
had
a
lesbian
relationship,
it
was
wrong
to
suggest
she
had
been
motivated
either
by
vengeance
for
that
or
the
fact
that
since
their
separation
a
22-year-old
woman
had
moved
in
with
him.
For
his
part
Courtney
decided
not
to
give
evidence,
but
relied
instead
on
the
account
he
gave
in
his
police
interview.
During
the
taped
exchanged
played
in
court,
he
said
his
wife
had
deliberately
started
the
fight
because
she
wanted
to
run
off
“into
the
sunset
with
Angela
Bostock,
the
ex-partner
of
Mr
McFadden,
who
played
EastEnders
hard
man
Phil
Mitchell.
He
told
officers
the
woman
had
been
a
“wedding
present”
from
his
wife
and
for
two
years
they
had
enjoyed
a
threesome.
But
after
he
spent
five
months
in
hospital
recovering
from
a
serious
car
accident
the
situation
changed.
“The
two
of
them
wanted
to
run
off
into
the
sunset
and
I
was
the
fat
cripple
who
had
just
come
out
of
hospital
who
did
not
fit
into
the
equation,”
he
insisted.
Courtney,
who
recently
landed
a
lead
role
in
a
film
about
greyhound
racing,
also
said
that
Miss
Pinto
seemed
delighted,
not
distressed,
when
he
“accidentally”
fell
on
top
of
her.
He
added
she
repeatedly
thanked
him
for
finally
giving
her
an
excuse
to
leave,
before
telling
him:
“Now
we
are
going
to
be
together.
We
don’t
want
you
in
our
relationship.”
