Heather Mills accused of having a “warped perception” by divorce judge

Heather Mills has been criticised and accused of lying by the judge overseeing her divorce from Paul McCartney.

After the £24.3million settlement was announced on Monday, Mr Justice Bennett’s full judgement was released yesterday and regarding Heather, the judge concluded: “To some extent she is her own worst enemy.”

“She has an explosive and volatile character. She would say she is at a severe disadvantage. I think she overplays her hand.”

He went on to say her testimony was “inaccurate” and “less than candid” and she was “less than impressive” as a witness, who has a “warped perception” of her own importance: “I find the wife’s case to be wholly exaggerated.”

“It is her case that her career which she says was producing rich rewards was thereafter blighted by the husband. The wife blames the husband for his attitude towards her working. That, I have found to be a false case.”

Despite the fact he felt Paul “advanced not stultified” Heather’s career: “The wife’s case is that her earning capacity is zero.”

“For her part, she must have felt rather swept off her feet by a man as famous as the husband. This may well have warped her perception.”

“In my judgment the picture painted by the husband of the wife’s part in his emotional and professional life is much closer to reality than the wife’s account.

“The wife, as the husband said, enjoys being the centre of attention. Her presence on his tours came about because she loved the husband, enjoyed being there and because she thoroughly enjoyed the media and public attention.

“I am prepared to accept that her presence was emotionally supportive to him but to suggest that in some way she was his business partner is, I am sorry to have to say, make-believe.

“I wholly reject her account that she rekindled the husband’s professional flame and gave him back his confidence.”

“Although she has strongly denied it, her case boils down to the syndrome of ‘me, too’ or ‘if he has it, I want it too’.”

“It must have been absolutely plain to the wife after separation it was wholly unrealistic to expect to go on living at the rate at which she perceived she was living.”

He also criticised her “reckless expenditure” during the couple’s separation and her demand for £125million in the settlement: “It is unnecessary to go so far as to characterise what the wife attempted as fraudulent. However, it is not an episode that does her any credit whatsoever.”

“She tried to obtain monies by underhand means. In the light of the husband’s generosity towards her, the wife’s behaviour is distinctly distasteful. It damages her overall credibility.”

“In the absence of any sensible proposal by the wife as to her income needs I must do the best I can. If she feels aggrieved about what I propose she only has herself to blame.”

“If, as she has done, a litigant flagrantly over-eggs the pudding and deprives the court of any sensible assistance, then he or she is likely to find the court takes a robust view and drastically prunes the proposed budget.”

“If the wife considers my adjudication to be unfairly low, then I would say this. If an applicant puts forward an exorbitant claim which she or he attempts to moderate by offers unsupported by rational bases, then they have only themselves to blame if the court awards much less than expected.”

“This case is a paradigm example of an applicant failing to put a rational and logical case and thus failing to assist the court in its quasi-inquisitorial role to reach a fair result.”

Heather reportedly tried to stop publication of the damning judgement, claiming it would threaten the security of her daughter with Paul, Beatrice.

A friend told the Mirror that when she heard the judge’s comments had gone public: “She was apoplectic with anger. She was ranting and raving and threatened to sell up and move away [from the UK].”

“She said ‘I can’t believe he’s done this to me and Bea!’ and had obviously been crying.”

Another source added though that Heather herself is attempting to sell photos and tape recordings from their marriage to UK and US media outlets for £1million: “She’s greedy. She should just go away, but she loves the spotlight and the attention.”