One of Britain’s most bitter divorce battles ended today as a judge called time on the marriage of warring Scot and Michelle Young.
Property magnate Mr Young, 51, who was once a “fixer” for the rich and famous, did not contest the “quickie” divorce, granted on the grounds of his “unreasonable behaviour”.
He is serving six months in prison for contempt of court for failing to tell a judge where his estimated £400 million fortune had been stashed.
Mrs Young, 48, had called for him to reveal the money’s whereabouts as she is claiming a settlement from him.
Her ex is set to remain in jail for at least three months unless he applies to purge his contempt.
At a hearing scheduled for November the pair, who have two daughters, will again argue over what the settlement should be. Mrs Young’s bid for a decree nisi was today approved among the latest list of “quickie” undefended divorce petitions to be heard by District Judge Heather MacGregor.
They must now wait six weeks and one day until a decree absolute comes into force and the marriage is officially over in the eyes of the law.
Mr Young was jailed last month at the High Court. He said before Christmas that once divorced he plans to wed 29-year-old model and actress Noelle Reno, ex-fiancée of banking heir Matthew Mellon.
In 2009 he was ordered to pay Mrs Young £27,500 a month in maintenance. The court heard that he has never paid a penny and now owes almost £1 million.
Mr Young, who counts entrepreneur Sir Philip Green, Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky and restaurateur Richard Caring among his friends, has been made bankrupt by the taxman over a £1.8 million debt.
But Mrs Young claims he has hidden assets of up to £2 billion.
