Multi-millionaire Grill’d co-founder quits as the CEO of a major booze company after video surfaces of him smoking a glass pipe: ‘Let’s get f***ing high together baby’
- Geoff Bainbridge has resigned as the CEO of alcohol business Lark Distilling
- Bainbridge claims he is the victim of extortion attempt as glass pipe video leaks
- Lark said Bainbridge, 50, had quit in order to ‘manage a personal matter’
- Bainbridge was co-founder of popular Australian burger giant Grill’d
A high-profile businessman has resigned as the CEO of alcohol business Lark Distilling after a video was published appearing to show him smoking from an ice pipe.
Geoff Bainbridge, 50 – the co-founder of burger giant Grill’d – left his post at the whiskey distillery business ‘effective immediately to enable him to manage a personal matter’, a statement said on Wednesday.
The Australian newspaper today published video of Bainbridge appearing to light up the pipe.
Bainbridge told Nine newspapers that he believed he was the victim of an extortion attempt.
Aussie businessman Geoff Bainbridge has quit his CEO post at alcohol distillery Lark as video emerged of him holding a glass pipe
‘Ultimately, I put myself in a situation I shouldn’t have been in,’ he was quoted saying.
‘I’m a victim of extortion but that wouldn’t have occurred without my poor judgment. I am deeply remorseful for my own actions.’
Bainbridge told Nine he was not a typical user of the drug ice.
The video was filmed after Bainbridge ended his association with Grill’d.
In the footage, which was reportedly taken in 2015, the former CEO was heard saying: ‘Let’s get f … ing high together baby. I’d smoke meth and just blow it all over your c … babe.’
He was seen wearing just a pair of underwear while muttering into the camera, in the video shared by The Australian.
Bainbridge told The Sydney Morning Herald that he’d been the victim of an extortion racket since December, 2015.
He claimed he woke up after a night of partying to find two strange men showing him the footage of him with the pipe.
Bainbridge told Nine newspapers that he believed he was the victim of an extortion attempt.
‘I was just horrified. You are like, ”what else happened? What else don’t I remember? How am I going to explain this to anyone?” he said.
He claims the two men then threatened to expose the footage, and demanded money from Bainbridge to which he gave them $3,000.
A few years later they came back again demanding more money. Bainbridge gave them another $9,000 over 14 different payments.
Due to the drug use, the former CEO did not take the matter to police but sought advice from a global risk consultancy group.
He was either told to continue paying off the men or hope they would go away, despite them making threats to leak the video to Australian news outlets.
Bainbridge was then contacted by The Australian journalist Sharri Markson in relation to the video which has now surfaced.
More to come
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