Geoff Bainbridge blackmail with ice pipes: Real estate detailing seems to suggest CEO isn’t overseas

There’s been a new twist in the story of a famous businessman caught on video smoking from a glass pipe.

Geoff Bainbridge stepped down as chief executive of alcohol trading company Lark Distilling last week after a video emerged showing him smoking with the device made public.

The father of four burger chain co-founders Grill’d, 50, claims he was the victim of an extortion plot.

Mr Bainbridge told The Age he had been haunted by attempts to blackmail him since a video appeared to have been filmed in Southeast Asia, following a big night out in 2015.

The newspaper reported: “The next morning, when Bainbridge woke up to discover two strange men, he quickly realized it was a robbery. ‘They threatened to expose him’.

But on Monday, Mr Bainbridge’s claims were cast into doubt, with The Australian claiming the glass tube clip appeared to have been filmed at his $3 million Melbourne home.

New claims have emerged about the stone smoking video featuring famous businessman Geoff Bainbridge that it was filmed in his bedroom (pictured) and not abroad as he claims

Property photos of Mr Bainbridge’s home in Middle Park show it shares a unique lighting system like the period shutters seen in a viral video by one businessman last week.

Other standout features of the room such as the ornate ceiling trim, work nook, fireplace and distinctive nightstand can be seen in several unreleased videos obtained by The Australian.

Daily Mail Australia does not claim that Mr Bainbridge is not telling the truth, there is simply a difference.

Mr Bainbridge bought the home in the posh suburb of Middle Park for $3.465 million in July 2020, and was paid the following month.

The publication reports Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning documents confirm the transfer of the Middle Park property to Mr Bainbridge as ‘sole owner’ in August 2020.

ASIC documents also list several of Mr Bainbridge’s businesses as registered at the same Middle Park address.

Asked about the stark difference in his story exposed by the lighting fittings, Mr Bainbridge told The Australian ‘no comment/no response’.

The property image shows the special lighting of the master bedroom (pictured) featured in the video

Some special features of the bedroom were spotted in the video posted by Geoff Bainbridge

Mr. Bainbridge stepped down as chief executive officer of the publicly video-listed Lark Distillery.

He left his position at the whiskey business ‘effectively immediately to help him deal with personal issues’, after The Australian published footage of his appearance to light the pipe.

“I ended up putting myself in a situation that I shouldn’t have been in,” he told Nine last week.

‘I was a victim of blackmail but it wouldn’t have happened without my poor judgment. I deeply regret my actions. ‘

Bainbridge told Nine he was not a typical methamphetamine user. The clip was filmed after Bainbridge ended her relationship with Grill’d.

Australian businessman Geoff Bainbridge resigned as CEO at Lark distillery when video emerged of him holding a glass tube

In the footage, which is believed to have been made in 2015 in a Southeast Asian country, the now-ex-CEO is heard saying: ‘Let’s grow together, honey. . I want to smoke meth and just blow it all over your c***. ‘

‘I’m very tall, I’m very excited.’

He was seen wearing only a pair of underwear while muttering to the camera, in a video posted by The Australian.

Bainbridge testified that he woke up after a night of partying to find two strange men showing him video footage of him with pipes.

Bainbridge told Nine newspapers that he believes he is the victim of an extortion plot.

‘I was just really appalled. You’re like, “what else happened? What else I don’t remember? How am I going to explain this to anyone?”‘ he told the Herald.

‘The reality for me is that there is footage of me consuming class A drugs overseas. That has serious ramifications. ‘

He claims the two men then threatened to release the footage, and demanded money from Bainbridge and he gave them $3,000.

A few years later, they came back asking for more money. Bainbridge paid them another $9,000 in 14 consecutive payments.

WhatsApp messages allegedly sent from the men to Bainbridge show them threatening to show the footage to his children and the media.

“You just negotiate and everything will be fine,” said one.

‘Tik tok little buddy.’

Due to his apparent drug use, the businessman did not take the matter to the police but sought advice from a global risk advisory group.

He was asked to keep paying the men’s debts or hope they would leave, despite their threats to reveal the vision to Australian news agencies.

The video was filmed after Bainbridge ended her relationship with the famous burger chain Grill’d

A video has been altered so it looks like it was shot last year instead of 2015.

Bainbridge’s lawyers told the Australian he was the subject of a ‘The recent continued, sophisticated and intensified extortion plot of people abroad using unverified images’.

‘Attempts to blackmail Mr. Bainbridge began many years ago when he was involved with Lark Distillery; and Mr. Bainbridge sought the assistance of London-based experts to carry out the blackmail scheme. ‘

Bainbridge was appointed chief executive of Lark in 2019. Lark Distillery is listed on the Australian Stock Exchange.

Bainbridge also helped run Grill’d since 2004 with chief executive Simon Crowe before the pair split in 2016 over business ownership.

Source: | This article originally belonged to dailymail.co.uk