Alderney surprise at 'Man in Black' ruling

PEOPLE in Alderney expressed surprise yesterday at the award of £259,000 damages to rape victim Amanda Lawson. The court decided that 'Man in Black' Christopher Dawes had raped her repeatedly, drugged her with crack cocaine and plied her with vodka.

'I'm glad he's dead,' the 42-year-old hairdresser said outside the High Court.

'Justice has been done, thank goodness, after eight years.'

Miss Lawson was flown to Alderney in Christmas 1998 by the self-made millionaire businessman, nicknamed over his love for dark designer clothes.

Mr Justice Eady accepted her story of three days of 'fear and degradation' at the hands of the 39-year-old computer boss, who died months later in a high-speed car crash in Essex in his £640,000 McLaren F1.

His eccentric behaviour attracted attention when he lived in Alderney as he was followed everywhere by up to four bodyguards.

One islander who knew Dawes best, Francis Simonet, the owner of Alderney Estate Agents, came across Mr Dawes in business and socially.

'I was surprised at the outcome of the trial. In my company he was always a charming, witty personality. At no time at all did I ever see him take drugs or be under the influence of drugs,' he said.

Martin Butterworth, owner of the Albert House pub where Mr Dawes used to drink, said: 'The decision is surprising.

'He kept himself to himself. He was a dislikeable guy, difficult to talk to and seemed just to want to buy everything.

'I never saw him wearing anything apart from black, not once.'

He said that on the first occasion he met Mr Dawes, the millionaire tried to tell him that he was not allowed to enter a section of his own pub as he had booked it privately.

Mark Ashton, contracted to spray-paint eight of Mr Dawes' vehicles black, said: 'If you weren't a pretty lady he didn't want to know. He was rude, awkward and selfish.'

Jake Hamon, who also worked on some of his vehicles, said on occasions Mr Dawes spoke to him through his bodyguards, despite them being in the same room.

After the judgement yesterday, Miss Lawson described the ordeal and her turmoil since as 'absolutely devastating' and said it had ruined her life for the last eight years.

The award is believed to be one of the highest made by a UK court in a civil rape case.

'I hope that my actions give other rape victims the courage to stand up to their attackers, no matter who they are or how long it takes,' she said. 'Hopefully, I'll be able to start rebuilding my life in the near future.'

When Mr Dawes, an Australian national, who was reputed to be worth between £50m. and £100m., died, he was facing a charge of possessing crack cocaine at the Chez Andre Hotel in Alderney, an island he had fallen in love with.

The hotel was part of a portfolio of about £1.5m.-worth of property he had bought.

He had spent time in custody at Les Nicolles prison and denied the drugs charge.

Mr Dawes had also denied rape, with which he had not been charged at the time of his death.

Ms Lawson, who had flown to Alderney for an 'opportunity of a lifetime' interview with Mr Dawes for a position fronting a modelling agency, will receive an interim payment of £200,000 to cover legal costs.