£400,000 win in barrister battle

Barrister Kerry Cox today won her High Court battle against her ex-lover and fellow lawyer, Lawrence Jones.

In a case packed with allegations of sex, violence and jealousy, Miss Cox won about £400,000 worth of property from her £600,000 claim.

Mr Justice Mann ruled she was entitled to the sole ownership of a flat above her apartment in Islington which they had shared but which had been registered in Mr Jones's name.

The judge also said Ms Cox was due 25 per cent of the mill they had converted into an £800,000 seven-bedroom home at Great Maplestead in Essex.

However, she failed to secure the return of a car she said she had bought for £5,000.

Senior commercial lawyer Mr Jones's claim for the return of his £20,000 solitaire engagement ring, which he had bought after a holiday in the Solomon Islands, was also dismissed by the judge.

Both Miss Cox, 38, and threetimes married Mr Jones, 54, were in court for the judgment and watched as their lawyers argued over final court costs.

In his ruling, the judge described the break-up of the torrid three-year love affair as "accompanied by great bitterness". Outside court Mr Jones said: "I am surprised. It's a sad day for the decent and generous and a good day for the duplicitous, deceptive and dishonest."

He now faces a potential legal bill of up to £300,000. The judge will make his ruling on costs at a hearing next week.

Miss Cox said: "I'm very happy with the judgment. However, I never wanted it to come to this. I bear absolutely no malice towards Lawrence and I hope that we can put this behind us as quickly as possible. This has been an horrendous ordeal."

In acrimonious cour t exchanges Miss Cox accused Mr Jones of "alcohol-fuelled aggression and violence".

He accused her of being a flirt, having flings with up to eight men and making "outrageous advances" to members of the Australian cricket team on tour while the couple were on holiday in the West Indies. He said she "behaved disgracefully" and returned with a match ticket "after visiting a leading member of the team at his hotel".

In documents submitted to the court Mr Jones accused Miss Cox of affairs with three lawyers, a doctor, an estate agent, a photographer and two other men.

He went on to claim that she had maintained a 10-year relationship with an eminent QC. He claimed that at first he believed the relationship was purely platonic but on one occasion in 1998, after leaving his Lincoln's Inn flat, Mr Jones said he saw "Kerry engaging in blatant sexual behaviour" with the QC.

The affair between Miss Cox and Mr Jones started in 1997 and came to an end after "an unseemly row" in front of friends and family during a trip to the Monaco Grand Prix.

In his ruling the judge said that Mr Jones "is and was by nature jealous of other men and from time to time he demonstrated, as I find, violent aggression towards Miss Cox". The judge also spoke of the couple's decision to live together in 1998 at Mr Jones's flat, when Miss Cox brought her German shepherd dog, Bootsie, with her.

"Bootsie was a great source of tension," said the judge. "The flat was small and Mr Jones is a somewhat particular man and the presence of a large dog did not accord with his lifestyle.

"In addition, when Bootsie was left alone for the day she made a large amount of noise and upset some of the neighbours which caused additional tension."

Miss Cox's and Bootsie's stay in Mr Jones's flat lasted only three months before owner and dog took themselves off to her relatives' home in Guildford. But the relationship continued.

During the affair Mr Jones had major personal difficulties including a spell in The Priory clinic for treatment for depression and alcoholism.

He was also having to deal with the Inland Revenue because "incredible although it may seem" said the judge, he had not submitted tax returns for 10 years nor VAT returns for four years. He eventually came to an agreement with the taxman to pay £588,000.