Art collector fails to stop ex-wife taking half fortune

When millionaire art lover John Newall split from his second wife, they reached an amicable agreement - he kept one house, she kept the one next door.

She let him store his art collection, worth about £1million, in her home. But then he began taking his student lover into the £1 million house in Brunswick Gardens, Kensington, and the agreement broke down. Now Mr Newall, 73, whose wealth came from his family and who has spent his life travelling the world collecting art, has failed in his bid to stop ex-wife Audrey walking away with half his fortune.

The Appeal Court today upheld a ruling last October that Mrs Newall, 47, should have 53.2 per cent of the couple's wealth.

Calling Judge Everall's ruling a "model of comprehensive clarity", Lord Justice Thorpe, sitting with Lord Wall, said it was "inconceivable" to overturn it.

The appeal judge added that Judge Everall had found Mrs Newall "dignified and measured", whereas her husband, despite having "great charm", was "evasive" and trying to "obscure the true position".