Crispin Odey tried to ‘manipulate’ sexual assault victim, FCA tells court

Former hedge fund manager warned ex-employee he had groped that Financial Conduct Authority may question her The financial watchdog has accused the former hedge fund manager Crispin Odey of attempting to “manipulate” a victim of sexual assault into silence. Odey texted his former employee, whose breasts he had groped, a warning in 2022 that the Financial Conduct Authority could question her about him. He said the regulator was “using” her to further its “vendetta” against him and his hedge fund, Odey Asset Management (OAM). The 67-year-old has previously accepted that he groped the woman without her consent in 2005, which he said happened while he was under the influence of sedatives after a root canal treatment. Odey, who faces a number of sexual harassment allegations, sent the woman a text in January 2022 saying the regulator would use her “to show that there were no controls and you were in fear of my position in the company which stopped you from speaking out”, according to evidence provided by the FCA at a court hearing on Wednesday. “I’m truly sorry for embarrassing you so long ago but I do not think that it is reason enough to close down OAM and call me