Lindi St Clair strikes back against taxman: Miss Whiplash defiant over bankruptcy

LINDI St Clair struck back with a whore's worst insult when the Inland Revenue had Britain's best known madam, known as Miss Whiplash, made bankrupt yesterday.

The taxmen were nothing more than 'Her Majesty's pimps,' she said contemptuously. It was a verbal version of the sort of lashing which her customers once paid good money for.

The taxmen referred to her as plain Marion Aken at the private hearing at the High Court. The bankruptcy petition for pounds 112,779 was granted by Mr Registrar Pimm. The Inland Revenue later confirmed that it had requested the order but gave no further details.

Miss St Clair, 41, of Charlton, south-east London, sparked off a major police hunt when her car was found abandoned at Beachy Head, East Sussex, last January. It was later discovered she had been on a luxury cruise.

She said after yesterday's hearing, which she did not attend: 'The bankruptcy petition was for pounds 112,000 the Revenue claims I owe but that is only up to 1983. There is a further 10 years unpaid tax they are claiming, bringing the amount up to pounds 250,000.

'But the Government can whistle up their dispatch boxes for it. I went on that lovely world cruise first-class and blew the lot.

'They are not getting tuppence out of me. Now all I've got left is zilch. I sold my brothel last year. I've got no assets.

'Now I've retired. I've gone past my sell-by date. I'm going to sign on as unemployed. I've been pressurised, hassled and badgered and driven near to despair and death by bigoted, greedy penny-pinchers. I went to soothe my nerves.'