Mistress ‘kept dirt diary on Visy billionaire Pratt’

Madison Ashton

Madison Ashton arrives at the Supreme court Sydney today to contest the will of Richard Pratt. Picture: John Grainger
Source: The Daily Telegraph




RICHARD Pratt’s mistress Shari-Lea Hitchcock kept a diary containing details of his dealings with politicians and businessmen and threatened to publish the claims if he ever abandoned her.


A Sydney court has also heard the Pratt family business paid out millions of dollars to keep his former lovers quiet about his indiscretions.

An affidavit by former escort and Pratt mistress, Madison Ashton, tendered to the NSW Supreme Court details her sex life with the late billionaire.

She is suing his estate for $10 million, which she claims he promised her.

Ms Ashton claims she first met Mr Pratt at his Circular Quay apartment in The Quay building in the mid 1990s while working for the VIP escort agency.

“When I reached the penthouse I recall that I knocked on the door and Shari (Lea Hitchcock) opened it,” Ms Ashton says in the affidavit.

“The booking was initially for one hour, however as the night progressed the time was extended further until the morning at the request of Richard.”

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Ms Ashton attended the penthouse on another occasion, afterwards receiving a phone call from Ms Hitchcock saying that she and Mr Pratt wanted to see her “more often”.

Ms Ashton married and did not see Mr Pratt for a few years but in about 1998 she received a phone call from the Visy Packaging mogul.

“How about it for old times’ sake, you join Shari and I in the bedroom and we have a good time together,” Mr Pratt reportedly told her.

Ms Ashton knocked him back because she was pregnant with her first child at the time.

The affidavit also claims that Ms Hitchcock kept a diary containing all the “names and dates” of the people that Mr Pratt had dealings with.

“So I have for some time diarised details and dates of people that Richard has dealt with, politicians, business people, public figures and who’s who in both business and politics,” Ms Hitchcock reportedly told Ms Ashton.

“I have told Richard if he ever abandons me I will have this diary published, which will bring down Richard, his empire and his friends and I have got plenty on them.”

Ms Ashton also claims she met with Visy executive Tony Gray in 2005 to discuss the money she believed Pratt had promised her.

“I am sick and tired of bailing Richard out of these messes,” Mr Gray reportedly said.

“The family is constantly trying to keep people like you and Shari out if Richard’s life.

“The company keeps paying for all of Richard’s indiscretions.

“Millions of dollars have been paid out in the past.”

The hearing continues.

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