A jealous husband confessed to his wife that he had bugged her phone because he wrongly suspected her of having an affair.
Harvinder Singh Gora, a successful businessman, was sued by Georgina Bansal and agreed to pay her a five-figure out-of-court settlement.
But last week, on the day the payment was due, he filed for bankruptcy and now she may never see a penny of the money she is owed.
The couple met through relatives in 1997 and married two years later. But wedded bliss soon gave way to Mr Gora’s jealousy and insecurity, according to Miss Bansal, 33.
She said she became an “open book” in an effort to make her husband, who was a director and share-holder at his family’s pet bedding company, feel more secure.
However, in 2008 Mr Gora sat her down at their home in Streetly, West Midlands, and told her he had been recording all her phone calls for six months and played her a CD of conversations with family and friends. “I was completely shocked,” she said. “I asked him why and he didn’t really have an answer for me. It just comes back to the fact that he was insecure. Maybe he was trying to get something on me having an affair, but there wasn’t one.”
Miss Bansal, 34, described that moment as “the straw that broke the camel’s back” following years of being questioned about her every move.
The sales manager ended their marriage and sued Mr Gora at the High Court for breach of confidence and misuse of private information.
She claimed her ex-husband, now 36, violated her privacy and ruined her career after relaying the recordings to relatives and friends.
At the High Court, Mr Gora denied tracking his wife, disputing that he had bugged her phone.
He did, however, concede that he had told her that he had done so.
However, the two legal teams agreed the undisclosed settlement after the hearing in July. Miss Bansal said yesterday that she has not seen any money and now fears she never will.
Her solicitor, Ian Hemingway, said: “We believe that Mr Gora disposed of substantial assets by transferring shares to other individuals before declaring himself bankrupt.
“We will pursue further court action if necessary after considering the report from the Official Receiver.” - Daily Mail