City boss guilty of molesting women in scenes likened to Wolf Of Wall Street

A City boss is facing jail for molesting two women in an atmosphere likened to the hit Hollywood film Wolf Of Wall Street.

Anthony Constantinou, 34, was accused of assaulting the women during after-work drinks at or near his offices in the Heron Tower in the heart of the Square Mile.

The chief executive of corporate business and solutions company CWM was convicted of two counts of sexual assault and cleared of one count relating to a third woman following a retrial at the Old Bailey.

Constantinou wiped his brow and appeared distressed as the jury delivered guilty verdicts by a majority after deliberating for 14 hours.

The verdicts last month could not be reported until the prosecution announced it would not be seeking another retrial on three more charges of indecent assault on two of the three women on which the jury could not decide.

The court heard that in October 2014, Constantinou pushed a woman up against the frosted glass of the reception area and went on to grope and kissed her against her will.

Then in February last year, he assaulted another woman during drinks after a business meeting.

During the meeting, Constantinou threw her mobile against a wall and told her: "Don't answer phones in my meeting."

Later that night, he picked up a big chunk of hot wasabi paste and shoved it in her mouth, remarking to colleagues that she had a "cracking arse and tits".

The woman immediately left the room but was followed by Constantinou, who pinned her against a partition and assaulted her in what she described as a "disgusting" manner, jurors were told.

She told police that he shoved his tongue in her mouth as if she was "a piece of meat".

On the Hollywood film about New York traders, she said: "It's literally like the film Wolf Of Wall Street. I just cannot believe it because you never ever think stuff - you never hear - you hear about trading floors but you never see it. So I am kind of going like this is getting out of hand."

Constantinou, of Wildwood Road, Barnet, north London, denied all the accusations against him but declined to give evidence.

His legal team put the wasabi incident put down to brash behaviour and said it had been exaggerated by the woman.

Constantinou remains on bail ahead of his sentencing on November 11.

During a brief hearing at the Old Bailey, prosecutor Eloise Marshall explained why the Crown was not going ahead with a further retrial in the new year.

She told the court: "Initially, we had intended to proceed but the complainants, having time to reflect, do not want to go through the experience again."

She said the Crown would request that the three remaining counts against Constantinou lie on file.