Judge issues arrest warrant for Katie Price after she fails to attend court

An arrest warrant has been issued for Katie Price by a judge after she failed to attend a hearing relating to her bankruptcies.

Insolvency and Companies Court Judge Catherine Burton said Ms Price had received “very clear warnings” that she must attend the hearing on Tuesday.

Ms Price was due to face questions about her finances in the specialist bankruptcy court in London from barristers representing the trustee of her two bankruptcies.

A judge at a previous hearing said the former glamour model risked arrest if she did not attend further court dates, adding that evidence must be provided if she could not appear.

But the court heard that it had been reported that Ms Price had travelled to Turkey, with a now-deleted Instagram story showing what appeared to be her eating a crisp sandwich on a flight.

Issuing the arrest warrant, Judge Burton said that Ms Price had “failed to attend today’s hearing” and had provided no explanation for her absence.

She said: “It is in my judgment necessary that the court issue a warrant for Ms Price’s arrest.

“She has no real excuse in failing to attend today’s hearing.”

She continued: “The reason for her absence today is irrelevant.”

Judge Burton said that an arrest warrant was not issued “lightly” but that Ms Price had offered only “piecemeal co-operation” and failed to provide the “most basic information” in relation to her bankruptcies.

Ms Price was declared bankrupt in November 2019 and again in March this year.

At a hearing in February, Ms Price was ordered to pay 40% of her monthly income from the adult entertainment website OnlyFans to the trustee for the next three years, in relation to her first bankruptcy.

She was then declared bankrupt for a second time in March due to an unpaid tax bill worth more than £750,000 owed to HM Revenue & Customs.

In October last year, Ms Price said she was “fed up” with being threatened with legal action and would go to prison to be “done with it all”.

She was due to face questions on Tuesday related to her finances at a hearing known as a public examination, with barrister Darragh Connell, for the trustee, telling the court in written submissions that there “remains significant information missing as regards the bankrupt’s income and asset position”.

Speaking in court, he said the trustee does not “have any information as to her whereabouts”, adding that Ms Price “would not be kept in custody for a long period of time”, but would be detained to secure her attendance at a future hearing.

He said: “Her liberty is on the line, but unfortunately we are at the end of the road in relation to this matter.”

Mr Connell said in written arguments that the application for Ms Price to attend was first issued in January 2020, but had been “adjourned on numerous occasions”.

He continued that Ms Price had not asked to attend Tuesday’s hearing remotely and had not asked for it to be adjourned, instead telling the court that “there has been reference” to Ms Price travelling to Turkey, according to reports.

Ms Price’s ex-husband Alex Reid, who is also one of her creditors, attended the hearing and addressed the court.

He said Ms Price’s creditors were “not just owed money, they are owed peace of mind” and described his ex-wife as a “calculated, cold person”.

He continued: “I myself have suffered not only financial loss but the wellbeing of my family and my own mental health have suffered at the hands of Price.”

The hearing also heard an application by the trustee related to six of Ms Price’s vehicles.

Mr Connell said in written submissions that Ms Price had indicated she would deliver the vehicles to the trustee, including her “pink Range Rover which has borne a personalised registration plate with (the) initials of the bankrupt” and a Volkswagen Beetle.

But the court was told this had not happened, with Mr Connell stating it was “plain” that the vehicles “will not be delivered up by the bankrupt”.

In court, he added: “The concern is that absent an order from the court, the position will remain the same and that these assets cannot be readily realised.”

The judge ruled that Ms Price must provide details of the cars’ locations within five working days, and deliver the vehicles themselves within 10 working days, of the court order being served on her.

Under the terms of the order made in February, Ms Price pays 40% of her monthly OnlyFans income to the trustee to pay her debts.

Judge Burton also ruled that the same amount of Ms Price’s monthly income from eight more companies be paid to the trustee until February 2027, after Mr Connell told the court there was a concern that “the sums of income being paid to the bankrupt will simply not be paid to the trustee”.

He added that 40% remained a “reasonable sum” to ensure debts were paid.