Founder of Soho celebrity nightclub and ex-Met Police sergeant appear in court charged with bribery

The founder of an exclusive Soho celebrity nightclub and an ex-Met Police sergeant have appeared in court today accused of a bribery plot.

Entrepreneur Ryan Bishti, 41, who launched London’s Cirque le Soir in 2009, and Frank Partridge, 48, an ex-sergeant in the Westminster police licensing unit, were charged with conspiracy to commit bribery after a long-running probe. 

Investigators at the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards Anti-Corruption Command had looked into alleged inappropriate relationships between police officers and people running local businesses.

Partridge appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court and Bishti joined via video link.

Five others joined the hearing via video link including Bishti’s mother Pamela, 66, and Terry Neil, 55, the boss of security firm TSS, accused of conspiracy to commit bribery between February 2013 and June 2015.

Neil’s ex-wife Soraya Henderson, 55, and Eamonn Mulholland, 54, appeared in the dock charged with conspiracy to commit bribery.

Blonde-haired Henderson was wearing a black blazer with Doc Marten boots and Mulholland was smartly dressed in a dark coloured suit, a white shirt and a patterned tie.

Bishti owns several other clubs in the capital and TSS was a company that supplied door staff to Soho clubs.

Hassan Serdoud, 54, and Anna Ginandes, 44, also face the same conspiracy charge while Serdoud faces a second bribery charge.

Senior District Judge Paul Goldspring remanded the eight defendants on unconditional bail ahead of a plea and trial preparation hearing at Southwark Crown Court on 18 January next year.

Serdoud, who runs a different security company, pleaded not guilty to a second charge of bribery between 1 January 2012 and 25 June 2015.

‘It’s a completely separate matter,’ said Deborah Jeffries, prosecuting.

Ms Jeffries asked for the bribery charge to be sent to Southwark Crown Court along with the eight-hand conspiracy.

Judge Goldspring said: ‘I allocate that case to the crown court sitting at Southwark, also sitting on 18 January.

‘All of your matters have been sent, or allocated, to the crown court at Southwark.’

He will appear on 18 January and has been granted unconditional bail until then.

Serdoud joined the hearing via video link and spoke only to confirm his identity.

Cirque le Soir became a celebrity hotspot after its launch in 2009, attracting stars including Cara Delevingne, Miley Cyrus, and Rihanna. 

Partridge, of Wing, Buckinghamshire; Ryan Bishti, from south Kensington; Pamela Bishti, of Croydon; Serdoud and Ginandes, both of Camden; Neil, of Slough; Henderson, of Flackwell Heath, High Wycombe; and Mulholland, of Islington, are all charged with conspiracy to commit bribery between 1st February 2013 and 25th June 2015.

Serdoud alone faces a second charge of bribery.