Millionaire hedge fund manager Crispin Odey allegedly “launched himself” at a junior banker “putting his hand up her skirt” after inviting her to his house in Chelsea in 1998, a court heard today.

The 61-year-old hedge fund manager of one of Europe’s most prominent funds, Odey Asset Management, pleaded not guilty to a charge of indecent assault on 28 September at Westminster Magistrates’ Court.