Damn Good Bad Woman Problem

Ben Alcott’s legal woes multiply

Sydney based events and TV producer Ben Alcott, head of ‘Damn Good Productions Australia Pty Ltd’, has been exposed and named by the UK High Court over allegations of coercive and controlling behaviour and violence against multiple female partners since 2001. Alcott has faced multiple actions brought by former BBC Children’s TV star Katy Ashworth, who quit her career and moved to Australia to be with Alcott and their baby son — only to find Alcott had three other current partners. She returned to the UK within days with the infant, a boy named Charlie, now aged about 9.

Alcott and Ashworth have faced off in UK courts ever since, which brought forward other former partners of Alcott alleging violence, one of whom is a young American woman known to the court as ‘S’ who also had a child with Alcott — a girl, born in the USA. The most recent court case in the England and Wales High Court led to the judge allowing publication due to extensive media coverage and also online misinformation on a ‘Fathers 4 Justice’ group that had led to protests against Ashworth outside BBC studios.

In a damning Judgement released by the court, Justice Arbuthnot said of Alcott’s defence: “In essence his case in relation to the domestic abuse alleged in the last 20 years was that the five ex-partners and one current partner who all had made complaints about his behaviour, had lied about what they said he had done. He was either acting in self-defence or the complainants had mental health problems, had blamed the wrong person, had greatly exaggerated what had occurred or they were motivated by money”.

‘Money’ entered into evidence from the former partner ‘S’ who was found to have been monitored with spyware on her phone, controlled and prevented having medical appointments during pregnancy, bullied abused and manipulated by Alcott, a much older man — and denied money on regular occasions. The Judge also found that Alcott had only ever paid Ashworth 320 UK pounds towards his son Charlie’s upkeep.

The Judge found 30 of 33 allegations made by Ashworth against Alcott to be true. These included he was controlling of Ashworth’s work and indeed inserted himself as Director of her live shows, insisting the BBC remove a photo of her from its website. Further, he was verbally abusive towards Ashworth, referred to as ‘the mother’ and ‘M’ in much of the judgement, calling her, according to the Judge, “a whore/slut or paranoid/crazy — and (he) would denigrate her friends and family. His behaviour towards her coupled with his control over her work and his chaotic lifestyle contributed to Ashworth being hospitalised for anxiety.”

Tellingly one allegation proven was the Alcott owed the court over UK 14,000 pounds in earlier costs — unpaid because Alcott didn’t agree with the court’s findings against him. His actions, according to the court, had beggared Ashworth and her father’s life savings.

Unproven due to lack of evidence was a claim Alcott threatened to publish naked photos of Ashworth. Proven was that Alcott went to the UK Tabloids on multiple occasions ensuring private information was published causing severe reputational damage to Ashworth as a children’s TV presenter. His actions led Daily Mail and other tabloids to publish photos of Ashworth and her new partner; and news of her subsequent pregnancy.

The Judgement makes much of Alcott’s more recent partner, the American known as ‘S’.

“The father’s behaviour towards S is behaviour he has exhibited towards any number of partners going back to 2001”, the Judge ruled before detailing multiple acts of violence and abuse by Alcott towards S that are Proved in the Judgement. (Alcott is often referred to as ‘F’ or ‘father’ in the transcript).

“The father swore at S when she was in labour and called her a “stupid f — -ing bitch”. He uses this language when speaking to her and on balance I would expect him to use that sort of language to other women. I noted that in S’s case he had managed to separate her from her family in the US and isolated her in Australia”.

Other attacks on S were found Proven by the judge: “(Alcott) ‘F’ punches her in the face causing her to use makeup to hide bruising”. Then: “When in a hotel room in England F lost his temper and held S up by her throat against a window strangling her until she fell to the ground”. And: “When in a hotel bathroom F repeatedly hit S over the head with a showerhead until she fell to the floor.”

When S reported Alcott to the NSW Police, he weaponised the complaint. “He contacted the Police Ombudsman, the Police Customer Assistance Unit, the appropriate Professionals Standards duty officers at two police stations and filed a complaint against the (NSW Police) officer” the Judge ruled.

At 63 pages, the Judgement makes gruelling reading. The judge sums up: “With domestic abuse at this level and with the number of incidents there have been over a 20 year period, there is a risk that the father’s children will get caught in the crossfire or damaged emotionally by hearing violent arguments occurring between the father and whichever partner he happens to be with. In my view those issues explain the father’s lies, he knows his past is littered with complaints of domestic abuse raised by his partners.”

“I also consider that he is unable to accept he is ever in the wrong. He always blames others including the victims of his assaults for what he did to them. This is not a man who is just assertive, stubborn and plain selfish, this is a man who is an obvious and continuing risk to his partners”.

Alcott’s company Damn Good Productions, based in Newtown (Sydney) lists Amex, UBS, Qantas, Macquarie, BMW, Panasonic, Visa and many other brands as current or former clients.

Ref: https://caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ewhc/fam/2022/3687

Ref: https://www.pressreader.com/uk/daily-mail/20231130/281947432608934