London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, May 11, 2025

Met Police sergeant ‘took bribes from West End bosses’

Met Police sergeant ‘took bribes from West End bosses’

Ex-Met Police Sergeant Frank Partridge is accused of accepting hospitality from Cirque le Soir boss Ryan Bishti to sway his way in West End licensing.
Aveteran Metropolitan Police officer was “in the pocket” of West End club bosses and security firms thanks to bribes including a signed Wayne Rooney shirt, concert tickets, and a foreign holiday to Morocco, a court has heard.

Former Sergeant Frank Partridge, 49, was lavished with Premier League football match tickets, food and drinks at top London venues, access to a gig by the band Metallica, and hotel stays, it is said.

He also received the services of a professional escort, it is alleged, as well as a £7000 family holiday, and renovation work on his home in alleged bribes, Southwark crown court heard.

Partridge is now on trial over alleged “corrupt practices” between February 2013 and June 2015, sitting in the dock alongside Ryan Bishti, the 43-year-old businessman behind Soho’s Cirque le Soir nightclub, Bishti’s mother Pamela Bishti, 67, security boss Terry Neil, 56, and his ex-wife Soraya Henderson, 57, security boss Anna Ginandes, 45, a man who cannot be named for legal reasons, and Eamonn Mulholland, 55, who was connected to the West End nightclub Beat.

Prosecutor Philip Evans KC said Partridge has considerable influence in the West End, having previously been part of the Met’s Clubs and Vice unit and then playing a “central” role in work with the Westminster Licencing Unit.

“In short, he was responsible for policing the licensed premises of the West End”, he said.

Mr Evans said Partridge had a say when venues were seeking licenses from Westminster Council, and when they may face reviews of their operations in the future.

“It is the prosecution’s case that he developed and nurtured relationships with those he was charged with policing, and he used those relationships for his own benefit and in turn for their benefit”, he said.

“They were people who owned, operated or were linked to, licensed premises, nightclubs and the like, as well as with those who operated security companies which relied on the licensed premises to provide their firms with work and income.”

Mr Evans said Partridge, an officer in the Met since 1992, had performed legal and “diligent” work in his role in West End licensing.

But he is also accused of being the “recipient of significant financial and other advantages or bribes”.

It is said he was given free tickets, travel, and accommodation to see Manchester United play at Old Trafford, a £7,000 holiday to Morocco for his family was laid on, he was handed made-to-measure shirts and a suit, and tickets to the Wireless Festival.

Ryan Bishti and his mother gave Partridge Metallica tickets, it is said, paid for the renovation of his home, and even allegedly hired the police officer a professional escort, the court heard.

It is said Mulholland arranged for a Manchester United shirt to be signed by Wayne Rooney and framed for Partridge.

“You will no doubt hear evidence that Frank Partridge was, in many respects, a professional police officer who conducted his work without raising much suspicion”, said Mr Evans.

“But the investigation has identified occasions upon which he performed his duties improperly and, in a manner incompatible with his position.

“He developed an unprofessional and inappropriately close relationship with a small number of individuals who had an interest in those properties in the West End of London.

“Those relationships benefited Frank Partridge financially and the individuals because they had someone with Frank Partridge’s powers ‘in their pocket’.”

Jurors heard Partridge and his wife were treated as “VIP guests” at the exclusive Japanese restaurant Sumosan, in Mayfair, on the officer’s birthday in 2014, including being chauffeur-driven into London and receiving more than £500 in hospitality.

Partridge – who left the Met Police in 2016 – has pleaded guilty to three counts of bribery, accepting he received many of the benefits. But the former officer, of Wing, Buckinghamshire, denies the gifts influenced the way he did his job, and jurors were told specifically that he denies receiving the services of a professional escort.

Partridge has pleaded not guilty to eight counts of conspiracy to commit bribery and five further charges of bribery.

Ginandes, from Camden, the unnamed man, Neil, of Slough, Henderson, from Flackwell Heath in High Wycombe, Ryan Bishti, from south Kensington, Pamela Bishti, of Croydon, and Mulholland, of Islington, all face two charges of conspiracy to commit bribery and two counts of bribery.

They all deny the charges. The trial continues.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump fires director of U.S. Copyright Office, sources say
Retired British police officer arrested over ‘thought crime’ tweet
Cardinal Robert Prevost Elected as Pope Leo XIV, Marking a Historic Papacy
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka Arrested at ICE Facility Amid Congressional Visit
India-Pakistan conflict may be first test for Chinese military tech
Bill Gates Announces Plan to Wind Down Philanthropic Foundation and Disperse Wealth
Historic Papal Conclave Set to Commence in Rome
Huge Copper, Gold, and Silver Discovery in Argentina and Chile — But the Profits Go Abroad
Prince Harry is pleading for reconciliation — but the royals are just as sick of his victimhood as everyone else
The Road to Freedom: She Protested Putin, Escaped House Arrest, and Survived a 2,800-Kilometer Journey
OpenAI's Flip-Flop: No Longer Going Commercial, Back to Nonprofit, After Musk Lawsuit and Backlash
“Trump Supporter” Aims to Bring a MAGA-Style Shift to Romania
First From China: Zhao Xintong Wins the Snooker World Championship
Nvidia Faces Billion-Dollar Losses – Warns: China Is on Its Way to Becoming an AI Superpower
Trump Rules Out Third Term, Names JD Vance and Marco Rubio as Potential Successors
Mexico Says ‘No’ to U.S. Troops: President Sheinbaum Rejects Trump’s Offer to Fight Cartels
Nigel Farage’s Reform UK Storms the Map, Wrecking the Two-Party Monopoly
DOGE: Reimagining Government Operations with AI
Common Sense Returns to Britain's Legal System: UK Supreme Court Declares a Woman Is… a Woman
Beijing Says U.S. Is ‘Reaching Out’ for Tariff Talks Amid Soaring Trade Tensions
U.K. Court Rejects Prince Harry’s Final Appeal Over Police Security
Prince Harry’s Heartfelt Outburst Rocks the Royal Family
Trump Shares AI-Generated Image of Himself as… Pope, Prompting Outrage Reaction
Transgender Swimmer Secures Five Gold Medals at U.S. Masters Championship
Prince Harry: “I Want Reconciliation with My Family”
Germany's Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party has now been officially labeled “right-wing extremist” by the federal office for the so-called “protection of the constitution.”
Amazon Launches Satellite Internet Service Amidst Competition with SpaceX
Transformative Changes in Women's Wrestling: The Rise of WWE Superstars
The Rush to the White Gold: Global Investment Surge in Natural Hydrogen Exploration
This is a day in Spain without electricity and internet
Reform UK Surprises in British Elections, Challenging Traditional Two-Party System
180-Year-Old Christian University in South Carolina Announces Closure Due to Unmet $6 Million Fundraising Goal
Brazilian Woman Jailed for Fourteen Years for Writing “You Lost, Idiot” on Statue During Protest
Trump Administration Removes National Security Adviser Mike Waltz Amid Signal Chat Controversy
Dutch Politician Eva Vlaardingerbroek Receives Spyware Threat Alert from Apple
Paramount Board Considers Settlement in Trump’s $20 Billion Lawsuit Over "60 Minutes" Interview
U.S. Economy Shrink in Trump’s First Quarter as Tariff Policy Raises Questions
Deadline Looms for RTS Meter Replacement: Hundreds of Thousands at Risk of Heating Disruption
Sweden Grapples with Deadly Gun Violence: Suspect Arrested After Three Young Men Killed in Uppsala Hair Salon
Walz Reveals Why Harris Chose Him as Her Running Mate and Reflects on Democratic Losses
Spain Restores Power After Unprecedented Nationwide Blackout
Carney Secures Liberal Mandate in Canada’s Federal Election
Death Penalty Sought as Luigi Manion Pleads Not Guilty in CEO Murder Case
President Trump contacts Jeff Bezos after reports of Amazon considering listing tariff surcharges; company clarifies no such plan for main platform
Spain and Portugal Recover from Massive Blackout
Liverpool Clinches Record-Equalling 20th English League Title Under Arne Slot
Singapore Politicians Warn Against Foreign Interference in Election
Driver Ploughs into Vancouver Festival Crowd, Killing Nine
Depression, Fear of Defamation, and a Tragic End: New Details on Virginia Giuffre’s Suicide
“Sharia for UK, Allah Akbar!”
×