Mills a 'less than impressive witness'

Heather Mills has been branded "a less than impressive witness" after losing her bid to stop details of her divorce battle emerging.

The full judgment of Ms Mills' legal battle with Sir Paul McCartney has now been released after her attempt to block Mr Justice Bennett's decision to release it failed at the Court of Appeal.

Ms Mills has accepted a £24.3 million settlement - a lump sum of £16.5 million plus £7.8 million in assets.

In his ruling, the judge described Sir Paul McCartney's evidence as "balanced".

He said: "He expressed himself moderately though at times with justifiable irritation, if not anger. He was consistent, accurate and honest."

However, he continued: "But I regret to have to say I cannot say the same about the wife's evidence.

"Having watched and listened to her give evidence, having studied the documents, and having given in her favour every allowance for the enormous strain she must have been under (and in conducting her own case), I am driven to the conclusion that much of her evidence, both written and oral, was not just inconsistent and inaccurate but also less than candid.

"Overall she was a less than impressive witness."

Mr Justice Bennett went on to describe Ms Mills as a "strong-willed and determined personality" who had shown great fortitude in overcoming her disability.

He said: "She has conducted her own case before me with a steely, yet courteous, determination."

The judge described her as a "kindly person" who is "devoted to her charitable causes".

But he said he thought the items which Miss Mills had claimed for illustrated "how unreasonable" her claimed needs were.

He said: "In the absence of any sensible proposal by the wife as to her income needs, I must do the best I can on the material I have.

"If the wife feels aggrieved about what I propose, she only has herself to blame.

"If, as she has done, a litigant flagrantly over-eggs the pudding and thus deprives the court of any sensible assistance, then he or she is likely to find that the court takes a robust view and drastically prunes the proposed budget."

Allowing a figure of £600,000 per annum for her income needs, the judge said that this would allow her to adapt to a standard of living that she could expect as a self-sufficient woman.

"In my judgment, after a short marriage to a very wealthy man, it is unfair to expect that she should continue to live at the same 'rate' as during the marriage. Such an expectation is completely unrealistic."

Sir Paul and Ms Mills married in 2002 and separated just under four years later, in April 2006. They have a four-year-old daughter, Beatrice.

The former model had claimed that the publication of the court proceedings would reveal sensitive information relating to their daughter, Beatrice, and herself.

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