The woman accusing a millionaire entrepreneur of sexual assault said she was left in “disbelief” after allegedly being groped outside a private members club.
Peter Bonham Christie, 39, is accused of “making a beeline” for the woman as she was having a cigarette outside the Royal Thames Yacht Club in Knightsbridge.
She told Isleworth crown court she was “almost lifted off the ground” in the incident, and struggled to speak as Bonham allegedly offered his apologies afterwards.
“He came through the doors, and made a beeline towards me”, she said, giving evidence to the jury.
“He put his hand in between my legs and grabbed my crotch.”
The woman, who cannot be identified, said she pushed Bonham Christie away during the incident in November 2018.
“I was almost lifted off the ground”, she said. “It was not just a hand…it was more forceful.”
She told the court: “I couldn’t really speak for a while. It was disbelief, it just all happened so quickly.”
A male friend is said to have confronted Bonham Christie afterwards, telling him: “I can’t believe you just did that, why would you do that?”
The woman said Bonham Christie apologised to the man, but was told: “It’s not me you should be apologising to, it’s her.”
Bonham Christie, who comes from a wealthy Dorset family, sold his water cooler company for more than £1 million and is now a dealer in luxury and classic cars.
He told police he had made a speech at Bonham’s auction house that night, before taking a client to Claridge’s and on to the 245-year-old private member’s club.
Bonham Christie denies touching the woman, saying he went outside to speak about a disagreement with the male friend.
The incident was first reported to the club’s management, and then to police in March 2019.
Bonham Christie, from Lymington in Hampshire, denies sexual assault. The trial continues.
