A WHITEFIELD woman should receive half of her ex-husband's £7 million fortune, a court has ruled.

Linda Bavard (53) was married for 21 years to entrepreneur husband Irvine who, from humble beginnings in an Irish menswear shop, built up a multi-million-pound empire.

Mr Baynard (58) and his ex-wife Linda both worked hard to achieve their business success. He was running a menswear store in Belfast when they met in the early 1970s and she was a physiotherapy student.

They suffered a setback when the Belfast shop suffered bomb damage but, within a few years, they had moved to Blackpool and opened a shop and an indoor market in the town, along with a warehouse in Preston. Their lifestyle included luxury cars and a holiday home in Israel.

In 1994, the couple were divorced and Mr Baynard, also known as Mr Zygensky, has since moved to California.

In July last year, High Court judge, Mrs Justice Black, ordered Mr Baynard to pay his wife a lump sum of £3 million, also awarding her assets - including investments, pension funds and the Israel flat - worth another £567,000.

Mr Baynard's challenge to that decision was this week dismissed by Lord Justice Thorpe, sitting at London's Appeal Court. The judge said the millionaire had failed to turn up at the court hearing before Mrs Justice Black without any "clear explanation" for his absence. It was therefore "not entirely surprising" that he had failed to attend the latest hearing as well.

Mrs Justice Black had described Mr Baynard's attitude as "unhelpful", and Lord Justice Thorpe said there was nothing to suggest the judge had erred in making the award she did to his ex-wife.

The appeal judge said Mr Baynard's appeal would only be re-heard if he attended the Civil Appeals Office "in person" to resume his fight to reduce his wife's award.