Tragedy hits another party hosted by flamboyant count

13 April 2012

A man has plunged to his death from a riotous gay party in the penthouse flat of a German aristocrat.

The victim, in his 30s, fell 60ft from the roof garden of the Chelsea home of openly homosexual Count Gottfried Alexander von Bismarck.

Twenty years ago, the count was at the centre of a scandal over the squalid death of a Cabinet member's daughter.

He was the ringleader of a 'poor little rich set' and hosted the notorious Oxford party at which Olivia Channon - daughter of Trade Secretary Paul Channon - died of a heroin overdose.

Tragedy returned to haunt 43-year- old von Bismarck after he hosted another hedonistic party - described by police sources as a "riotous all-night gay bash". The partygoer fell at 5.30am. Neighbours in the exclusive block reported hearing a dull thud and looked out to see a body in the courtyard. The man was taken to the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, where he died of multiple injuries.

Police were called and a 41-year-old guest, believed to have tried to flee, was arrested and was being questioned.

Von Bismarck - great-great grandson of Germany's 'Iron' Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, who unified his country in 1871 - was questioned by Scotland Yard as a potential witness.

Officers are are treating the death as suspicious and trying to discover if the dead man - who other guests said was called Tony - fell or was pushed from the roof of the two-bedroom flat.

It is part of a five-storey late 19th century terraced property in Draycott Place, near the King's Road and Sloane Square.

A neighbour, who did not wish to be named, said: "Mr von Bismarck is something of a strange character. He is not very good-looking, he is bald, and he is gay.

"Sometimes he has friends around. People go on to the roof for drinks, tea or coffee, barbecues.

"It is pretty dangerous up there. There is no proper barrier, it is a relatively small area, there is only a very low wall around it, so it wouldn't take much to topple over and fall off. It was a pretty big shock for the people who live in the downstairs flat to have a body falling into their beautiful courtyard with a thud."

Among the area's residents are the singer Andrea Corr and Monica Lewinsky, President Clinton's former lover.

Police sources said that the arrested man had been held on suspicion of murder, but added that they were keeping an open mind. One said: "It has all the hallmarks of a nasty accident."

In June 1986, von Bismarck hosted a drink and drugs party in his Oxford college rooms to celebrate the end of final examinations.

During the evening, 22-year-old Miss Channon died after mixing heroin and alcohol. Her death highlighted the hard-living social whirl enjoyed by many Oxford students.

Miss Channon's set had the reputation of being free and easy with their sexual partners and threw parties where cocaine and cannabis were taken. Von Bismarck, who was fined £80 for possessing drugs, admitted he was an alcoholic and entered rehabilitation.

At the time he said: "This whole thing has changed my life totally. I have learned a lot about addiction and I intend to change."

Von Bismarck quit Oxford in disgrace and returned to the family castle in Germany to live with his father, Prince Ferdinand.

A servant was sent to Oxford with a chequebook to pay off his debts at the city's pubs, wine bars, restaurants and tailors. The aristocrat told the inquest into Miss Channon's death that although he had not seen her take drugs, he was not surprised that she had.

The girl who supplied the drugs, Rosie Johnston, was jailed for nine months.

Von Bismarck has dabbled in film production, but friends said he had no real need to work and was happy to live off the family fortune.

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