Court bailiffs appointed to retrieve £10k compensatory payment from Piers Portman

Court bailiffs have been appointed to retrieve a £10,000 compensatory payment from Piers Portman, which he was ordered to pay after being found guilty of a verbal antisemitic attack on Gideon Falter, chief executive of the Campaign Against Antisemitism.

In October last year, Portman, son of the ninth Viscount Portman, was convicted of the verbal assault.

Judge Gregory Perrins sentenced him to four months in prison and an order to pay more than £20,000 for calling Falter “Jewish scum” after the Westminster Magistrates sentencing of the antisemitic singer Alison Chabloz in 2018.

Portman had approached Falter after the Chabloz sentencing in which Falter had given evidence against her. He followed Falter out of the courtroom and shouted at him: “I’m Piers Portman. I have written to you before. Come after me, you Jewish scum. Come and persecute me. Come and get me.”

The CAA took action against Portman, leading to his conviction last October. He was denied leave to appeal in December 2021. In his sentencing remarks, the judge told Portman: “You said you’re an honourable British gentleman. You’re anything but.”

Judge Perrins said Portman had “strongly-held antisemitic beliefs”, and that he had “deliberately targeted Mr Falter because of his role in prosecuting Alison Chabloz.”

Portman was sentenced to four months in prison, with the possibility of release on licence after two months, and ordered to pay a £10,000 fine, make an additional £10,000 compensatory payment to Falter, and pay court costs.

Falter says he intends to donate the entire £10,000 to Campaign Against Antisemitism when the bailiffs obtain it from Portman.