Baroness attacked black businessman and launched into drunken racist tirade in exclusive West London hotel bar

Baroness Marie-Claire Von Alvensleben slapped a black businessman at the Belgravia Sheraton hotel



She screamed 'you brown people are ruining Britain' at staff before ranting against 'blacks, Arabs, Asians and Jews'

The 60-year-old socialite has title from previous marriage to German aristocrat and lives in Geneva



She claimed drink was spiked and she remembered nothing of the evening



Her lawyer wouldn't tell JPs her name and tried to have press removed

Sentenced to six weeks in jail, suspended for one year, and fined £165



An aristocrat attacked a businessman and a security guard at a luxury hotel while drunkenly ranting: ‘You brown people are ruining Britain.’

Baroness Marie-Claire Von Alvensleben’s rampage at the Belgravia Sheraton in London ended with her spending 15 hours in a police cell.

The 60-year-old had been arrested for obstructing police who cornered her at a nearby hotel, a court heard yesterday.

High spirits: Von Alvensleben with Michael Barrymore at charity event in 2000 High life: Michael Barrymore grapples with Baroness Marie Claire Von Alvensleben at a restaurant awards ceremony (left). She can be seen at Cowes Week (right) in 2003



Adam Sumel, a Canadian businessman, was the first victim of her racist tirade in the bar at the Sheraton.

He slapped him across the hands five times and said: ‘N****** should not be allowed here – you brown people are ruining Britain.’

Baroness Marie-Claire von Alvensleben launched into a racist tirade against 'blacks, Arabs, Asians and Jews'

Tom Gill, prosecuting, told Hammersmith magistrates that the guard, Haliz Hamza, then stepped in. ‘He spoke to the defendant because other guests complained about her behaviour and she clenched both her fists and pounded his chest repeatedly,’ he said.

As Mr Hamza escorted Von Alvensleben out of the hotel, she said: ‘You have stayed here ten years, this must be India.’

The baroness carried on with a rant about ‘blacks, Arabs, Asians and Jews’.

Police were called and found her at the Diplomat Hotel.

‘She was intoxicated at the time, she was being obstructive to the officer,’ said Mr Gill. ‘She was using a mobile phone as the officer tried to speak to her.

‘She took a long time to get dressed and she was abusive and aggressive to the officer as he tried to cuff her.’ Von Alvensleben told the officers she felt her drinks were spiked and did not know she should not have mixed alcohol with medication for depression.

The society figure, who lives in Geneva and depends on the generosity of well-connected friends, obtained her title from a German aristocrat she divorced a decade ago. It dates back to 1163.

She has socialised with chefs Gordon Ramsay and Ian Pengelley and, at a restaurant awards party in 2000, was seen rolling around on the floor with entertainer Michael Barrymore.

She was also pictured at an event with her arm around Sebastian Sainsbury, the great grandson of the supermarket founder. At another event she was seen posing with Italian chef Aldo Zilli.



The baroness is also a novelist and has written a series of books entitled 'Absolutely Everything About...' but her publishing firm has failed.

Jyothi Somavarapu, in mitigation, said she was penniless and was in London to collect debts from the PR company which matches buyers and sellers in the international property and art world.

She said Von Alvensleben claimed to have had no more than two glasses of wine.

Celebrity dinner: Baroness Marie-Claire Von Alvensleben is pictured in 2005 with Ian Pengelley and Gordon Ramsay

Evening out: Alex Proud, Baroness Von Alvensleben and Harrison Funk

Baroness: Titus Johnson, Marie-Claire Baroness Von Alvensleben and Bradley Frankel at the Mauro Perucchetti exhibition at The Halcyon Gallery, London, in October 2010

Marie Von Alvensleben was drinking in Belgraves Hotel in central London when she launched into a tirade at fellow guests

Baroness Marie-Claire von Alvensleben arriving at court earlier today

‘She believes her drink was spiked at the bar,’ added Miss Somavarapu. ‘She has no recollection at all as to what happened and says it is out of character for her to say such things.’

She said Von Alvensleben had struggled following the deaths of her second husband and a subsequent fiance and had become forgetful, leaving her suitcases in airports.

‘For her it is shocking. She has never uttered these words before and is upset that those words have been quoted,’ said Miss Somavarapu.

Von Alvensleben told District Judge Jane Fudge she had returned to the hotel two days afterwards to apologise. ‘I don’t remember assaulting anybody,’ she claimed. ‘The police were very nasty and I retaliated.’

But Judge Fudge said: ‘What concerns me is the foul, unpleasant and abusive language used against other patrons of the hotel, there is no excuse whatsoever. You did use words and you continued to use those words.

‘You’ve got some extremely unpleasant racial abuse accompanying this and that concerns me. What was said was extremely unpleasant and no doubt extremely distressing for those around her that heard this.’

Von Alvensleben pleaded guilty to racially aggravated assault and obstructing a police officer.

The baroness was handed six weeks of imprisonment, suspended for 12 months.