LONDON (Reuters) — Axis Holdings founder John Charman’s ex-wife was tied up and robbed of several hundred thousand pounds worth of jewellery at her home in Kent on Saturday. Beverley Charman, 53, was alone when a masked robber with a gun forced his way into her Sevenoaks home. Last week, Mr. Charman appealed Mrs. Charman’s award of $48 million pounds in what is believed to be Britain’s largest ever contested divorce settlement. He wants it cut to $20 million.

The final ruling is likely to be studied closely by lawyers negotiating the divorce pay-off between Paul McCartney and his estranged wife Heather Mills. “The police were alerted after the woman’s son came home at 10 p.m. and found her,” a Kent Police spokeswoman said. “No violence was used and she was not injured in the incident.”

Police said the robber’s weapon may have been an imitation or ball-bearing gun.

In their 37 year marriage, Mr. Charman amassed $150-160 million from the London insurance market. Bermuda-based Axis has a reported market capitalisation of almost $3 billion.