The Collier Exposed investigation into the tumultuous courtroom incident involving Stuart Collier on September 19, 1986, relies exclusively on rigorously vetted and credible sources. Key among these is the meticulously documented report featured in Private Eye (Issue 646, October 3, 1986), with contributions by journalist David Bamber, a trusted confidant of Stuart Collier at the time. Complementing this primary source are corroborative insights from a court security officer present during the altercation. These sources collectively provide a comprehensive examination of Stuart Collier’s profound professional and personal decline, shedding light on a pivotal moment in his career trajectory. Additionally, our research has incorporated an extensive array of authenticated official documents, ensuring the accuracy and integrity of the information presented, and affirming the meticulous nature of our investigative approach.
Many children would be delighted to see their names in their favourite periodical. However, in this instance, our target, Stuart Collier, was not pleased to be the focal point.
Stuart Collier revealed his true colours and became the centre of attention. He disgraced himself in the most official of settings: against those in the legal profession, often seen as adversaries to journalists. We have insider knowledge on this telling event, so be sure to read to the end.
Stuart Collier’s Berserk Attack
Strange scenes on 19 September in the Wandsworth County Court where Stewart [Stuart] Collier, night news editor on the Daily Mail was appearing about a maintenance problem with his first wife. Collier chose to represent himself and when the solicitor for the other side started to attack him he [Stuart Collier] went berserk. He [Stuart Collier] launched himself in a furious assault upon the bemused pettyfogger. Judge White attempted to intervene only to hear Collier scream "You shut up, you bewigged cunt". For this indiscretion Collier was sent to Pentonville where he languishes for contempt.
Attempt by glamour barrister Desmond Browne to spring him have so far failed.
How this will go down at the News of the Screws is hard to assess. Collier has been hired by the Mill Hill socialite newsman, Bob Warren, for a heavy-duty reporting job. The Digger. however, may not find it too funny when he learns of his newest recruit's court room brawling.
The Private Eye report was relayed by Stuart Collier's then-friend, journalist David Bamber, immediately following the incident. Bamber had previously accommodated Stuart Collier at his residence before Stuart Collier's unplanned transfer to Her Majesty’s Prison Service the following night. Bamber later confided in our investigation that 'he welcomed the chance to shift Stuart Collier on'. He provided Private Eye with dramatic information about the assault. The remaining Fleet Street reports were already familiar in gutter journo circles, with Private Eye's characteristic use of nicknames like 'News of the Screws' for the News of the World. Stuart Collier's reputation for violence and frequent losses in altercations were widely acknowledged, making this incident unsurprising.
The attack took place on Friday, 19 September 1986. That evening, Judge White sent Stuart Collier to Pentonville Prison. He was brought back the following Monday, 22 September 1986, where Judge White, still appalled by the violent courtroom assault, sentenced him back to The Ville for contempt of court.
Interestingly, Stuart Collier's use of the term 'pettifogger' during the assault raised eyebrows. It appears Stuart Collier recently encountered the term in the then-current issue of his favourite magazine, Private Eye (No. 646 - Friday, 19 Sept. 1986). Colleagues often observed him reading the publication, suggesting it significantly influenced his vocabulary.
The incident was reworded thirty-three years later by Alan Ashford from the above Private Eye piece for the Conservative Woman. Alan is credited with reiterating the details he read in Private Eye and uniquely linking them to the Guppygate controversy—something no other journalist managed to do when reporting on the event that continues to embroil Boris Johnson to this day and will likely shadow him throughout his public life.
New Insight into Stuart Collier’s Violent Courtroom Incident
Our informant, a court security officer present on the day of the violent assault, provides a full account, corroborated by the Private Eye report:
On entering the court that day, I immediately sensed trouble with Stuart Collier. He was talking loudly, swearing to himself, and displaying a confrontational attitude towards those around him, which seemed exacerbated by some substance. However, he promised to calm down when asked, which he eventually did. During the hearing, Collier's responses were notably lacklustre and often incoherent. When the solicitor broached the topic of Collier’s alcohol abuse, he responded with insults, prompting an immediate warning from the judge.
When the solicitor mentioned his violent domestic abuse, Collier, then 37, ‘went bright red, like a tomato.’ Collier lunged at the solicitor, who was 28 at the time, and somehow impaled himself with his own biro from his shirt pocket, resulting in significant blood loss. Collier's main thrust was aimed at the solicitor's neck in an attempt to throttle him, but the attack was deflected, causing Collier to fall and strike his head against a chair. Enraged, Collier staggered back to his feet and continued to swipe at the solicitor, who managed to deflect the blows. Gasping for breath, Collier shouted profanities at Judge White, who demanded that Collier be restrained. During the assault, Collier also struck a female assistant, fracturing her cheekbone. Collier was eventually subdued, removed from the courtroom, and transported to Pentonville Prison.
Given what we know about Stuart Collier, this incident aligns perfectly with his character. The Private Eye piece questions how this will affect his standing at The News of the World. The answer is likely that they regret one of their own getting caught, not the outrage caused. Still, no one is surprised.
Desmond Browne to the Rescue
While in Pentonville, Stuart Collier was involved in two further fights, receiving a heavy concussion in one. He allegedly tried to enlist friends and family to harass both the legal practitioner and his estranged wife. Details of these incidents require further corroboration, but we will elaborate on them in future reports on Stuart Collier.
Stuart Collier was poised to join The News of the World, hired by Robert (Bob) Warren. Warren, perhaps overly optimistic about his new recruit, enlisted the services of the renowned barrister Desmond Browne. Yet, despite Browne's best efforts, he failed to release Stuart Collier from prison. At most, Browne managed to reduce Stuart Collier's sentence from six weeks to four. Insiders report that Stuart Collier struggled immensely with prison life, often found sobbing inconsolably—a far cry from the hardened journalist persona he once projected.
Here is Stuart Collier's official court statement, attributing his violent actions to "extreme emotional stress" rather than his disturbing violent tendencies.
Our Appeal to Stuart Collier’s First Wife and the Solicitor Involved
Given the events in this courtroom, we are eager to contact Stuart Collier’s first wife or anyone close to her, including the assaulted solicitor. If anyone has information, please contact us in complete confidence. We have documents and informants that testify to knowing this wife when Stuart Collier was a staff reporter at The Daily Mail, but our investigation draws a blank afterward. It is believed she may now reside abroad.