Paul McCartney can't face Heather Mills

Tuesday, 19 February 2008

Sir Paul McCartney failed to attend his divorce hearing yesterday (18.02.08).

The Beatles legend, who is currently embroiled in a bitter divorce battle with Heather Mills, chose to rehearse for his BRIT Awards performance on Wednesday (20.02.08) instead of going to London's High Court.

Paul's lawyer Nicholas Mostyn QC revealed yesterday his client and Heather failed to reach an agreement on their financial settlement. The pair had been arguing their cases for over a week, despite only five days being allocated for the hearing.

Judge Mr. Justice Bennett will now impose a settlement on the pair to decide how much of Paul's fortune Heather will receive. This decision could take up to a month.

Heather - who chose to represent herself in the case, with only a professional legal advisor to help her - is rumoured to have requested £65 million of Paul's reported £825 million fortune, along with two nannies, medical cover, a personal trainer, household staff and a secretary in a settlement.

Details of the case and subsequent settlement are unlikely to ever be made public unless the case goes to the Court of Appeal, as Judge Bennett has imposed a gag order on both Heather and Paul.

A court insider said: "The judge made it clear at the start of proceedings that the hearing was being held in private and that all evidence should remain strictly confidential. All the parties in court were warned about the possible consequences of leaking information.

"Anyone caught revealing confidential details of the court hearing is likely to be found in contempt of court and fined."

The couple - who officially separated after four years of marriage in May 2006 - have a four-year-old daughter, Beatrice.