Katie Price must attend a further hearing in relation to her bankruptcies later in August with “no ifs or buts”, a judge has said. The former glamour model appeared remotely at a hearing in a specialist bankruptcy court at the Rolls Building on Friday, hours after being detained at Heathrow Airport.
During the short hearing in London, Deputy Insolvency and Companies Court Judge Daniel Schaffer ordered Ms Price to give an “undertaking” to the court that she would attend a further hearing to face questions over her finances on August 27 at 10.30am.
He said: “These are undertakings to the court, meaning if you breach the undertakings in any way, shape or form, you will be brought back into custody. It is quite a serious matter.”
He continued: “You have to attend that date, no ifs or buts, no going abroad, no holidays.” Ms Price confirmed that she understood that she must attend and later added: “I will move my diary for it.”
The hearing was held at the Rolls Building, but Ms Price attended via a video link from an office of High Court enforcement staff at the Royal Courts of Justice nearby after arriving on foot on Friday afternoon. Wearing a beige outfit and a black head covering, the 46-year-old was accompanied by another woman throughout the hearing whom she described as an “appropriate adult”.
Ms Price was arrested at Heathrow on Thursday evening upon returning to the UK, after a different judge issued a warrant on July 30 for failing to attend a previous hearing. The PA news agency understands that she was bailed the same night, with Judge Schaffer discharging the arrest warrant at the end of Friday’s hearing.
Ms Price asked the judge whether she could attend the hearing later this month remotely as she said she finds it “difficult in a court”, saying: “Am I able to do it by Zoom or in a side room?”
“No,” the judge replied, adding that she could apply to attend remotely and “it does not take Einstein to do it”.
She said that she did not have legal representation, telling the court: “I have tried to get legal advice but have been charged £50,000 upfront.”
She continued: “I can’t get legal aid because I earn. I don’t know what to do on this.” She added: “I have been asking for legal representation for all of this and no one would do it.”
Ms Price was first declared bankrupt in 2019, and in February this year was ordered to pay 40% of her monthly income from the adult entertainment website OnlyFans to the trustee of her bankruptcy until February 2027. She was then made bankrupt for a second time in March due to an unpaid tax bill worth more than £750,000 owed to HM Revenue & Customs.
Ms Price was due to face questions over her finances from barristers representing the trustee of both bankruptcies last month but did not attend the hearing. Insolvency and Companies Court Judge Catherine Burton issued an arrest warrant for Ms Price, claiming she received “very clear warnings” that she must attend court.
The court was told that it had been reported that Ms Price had travelled to Turkey, with Judge Burton describing the reason for her absence as “irrelevant” and claiming that she had “no real excuse” for failing to attend. She said that while a warrant was not issued “lightly”, Ms Price had offered only “piecemeal co-operation” and failed to provide the “most basic information” in relation to her bankruptcies.
At the same hearing, the judge ordered that Ms Price must deliver six of her vehicles to the trustee of her bankruptcies to help pay off money owed, including a pink Range Rover.
