One of Britain's richest couples arrested over 'sex act with another man in nightclub toilet'

One of Britain's richest couples was arrested after an alleged sexual encounter with another man in the lavatory of an exclusive nightclub in Florida. Police said they found Chris and Mary Gorman, who made tens of millions of pounds from a string of businesses such as the Gadget Shop, locked inside a gentlemen's cubicle at the Roxy club in Orlando. Mrs Gorman, 43, is said to have been performing a sexual act on the third man while her 44-year-old husband, who was awarded an OBE by the Queen in 2005 for his services to business, watched. She allegedly had two wraps of cocaine in her purse. The couple are believed to have visited the club – a former haunt of Tiger Woods, the disgraced golfer – during a family holiday to Disney World, while their young children were looked after at a hotel.



Mrs Gorman now faces up to five years in prison for allegedly possessing the drugs and pushing a policeman when the trio were ordered out of the lavatory. Her husband was charged after allegedly remonstrating aggressively with officers as they dealt with his wife. The couple was released after paying combined bail of about £1,300, and flew home. The Gormans, who are estimated to be worth £45 million, went from living in a council house in Cumbernauld, near Glasgow, after marrying in 1992 to making the Sunday Times Rich List a decade later. A former supermarket worker and phone salesman, Mr Gorman went on to be a director of The Gadget Shop, which eventually collapsed. But he made his fortune founding and selling the internet company Reality Group and the mobile phone retailer DX Communications. He is now the chairman of the London Entrepreneurial Exchange, a lobbying organisation, whose board features leading corporate figures including Sir Richard Branson and Duncan Bannatyne, and works for several entertainment and technology companies.

Mrs Gorman, who also made millions as managing director of Reality Group, now runs her own property development company and works as a management consultant. The couple, who have four children aged between seven and 21, live in a £2 million mansion in Renfrewshire that reportedly contains 33 televisions, a bar, a cinema, a disco and a swimming pool. They also have a luxurious holiday home in Marbella, Spain. Their arrest took place in August but has only just come to light. An arrest affidavit for Mrs Gorman by Noah Pruitt of the Orlando police department stated that he and a colleague, who were on a regular patrol of the club, approached the lavatory cubicle at 1.45am after being tipped off by an employee. "As we entered the men's rest room, I noticed the stall was locked," wrote Officer Pruitt, adding that his colleague "knocked on the door and said 'Orlando police' in a loud, authoritative voice.



"Once the stall door opened, the white male was watching defendant Gorman performing a sex act on the black male. The white male and black male exited the stall, exiting the bathroom. Defendant Gorman was still loud inside the bathroom and was asked to leave several times. Defendant Gorman turned around and pushed me in the chest with an open hand." Mrs Gorman is charged with battery on a law enforcement officer and possession of a controlled substance. She is due to appear in a Florida court later this month. Mr Gorman was charged with interfering after he allegedly "came at" the officers. His case is yet to be scheduled and he is likely to face only a small fine. The third man was allowed to leave. In a statement, the couple denied wrongdoing and described their experience as "horrendous". They said: "We are obviously horrified by this as, although the arrest did happen, we firmly do not believe that we have done anything to merit the charges or treatment we received".