The head of the company which owns Henry VIII restaurant has been acquitted of attacking a cocktail waitress.

William Paul King, president and CEO of Long Botham Boats Ltd, vehemently denied the charge of common assault, which he called “offensive” and “preposterous”.

“I’ve never hit someone, let alone a woman,” said Mr King, who has no previous convictions.

The altercation between Mr King and Christina Consuegra on January 20 saw the police called to the Southampton establishment on behalf of both parties.

Tensions were raised earlier that afternoon, when Ms Consuegra argued with an accountant workmate Chitral Vissanayake, whom she believed was one of many people stealing from her.

After the clash, Mr Vissanayake sent a resignation e-mail to Mr King, citing Ms Consuegra as the reason behind his departure. The defendant then contacted restaurant manager Vishnu Bhandari, and told him to send Ms Consuegra home until further notice.

At about 5.40pm, with Mr King having visited the premises to smooth out matters, the complainant showed up again at the restaurant accompanied by her sister Valentina, also a Henry VIII employee.

Ms Consuegra told Magistrates’ Court yesterday that Mr King had then called her into his office and told her she was suspended.

When she asked for an official letter confirming the suspension, she claimed he became angry and told her to leave the property or he would call the police.

When she turned around to leave, the complainant alleged that Mr King hit her upper back “more than ten times” as she apologised repeatedly, before following her out into the hallway, wrapping his arms around her waist, picking her up and then dropping her back to the floor.

Her sibling then became involved in the incident, before the fight was broken up and both sisters were taken outside. Valentina called the police shortly afterwards. Elsewhere however, the court heard that Ms Consuegra had become visibly and audibly “hysterical” during the office meeting, which Mr Bhandari attended as well.

“She was screaming like a banshee,” said Mr King, adding that when the complainant left the office in an agitated state, she turned right towards restaurant’s main dining room, rather than left to the staff cloakroom.

Mr King said he placed his arm around Ms Consuegra to prevent her from entering the dining room and causing a scene.

“I was concerned for the patrons, the property and the staff members,” he said.

“There was contact around her waist to stop her from going forward. Immediately on contact, she ceased trying to go forward and turned on me.”

Mr King added that Valentina joined in the attack, before both sisters were pulled away by Jade King, the defendant’s great-nephew and a Henry VIII employee.

Jade King told the court that he saw both women “lunging” towards Mr King with their hands outstretched in the incident, before he took them outside.

After hearing the various testimonies of those involved, Magistrate Archibald Warner found Mr King not guilty and discharged him.

“It cannot be shown what happened, therefore the defendant must be acquitted,” he said.

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