BP CEO scandal brings down escort agency web site

Angus Kidman
Wednesday, 02 May 2007 10:00

Your IT - Home IT

The resignation of BP's CEO following a court case over revelations about his private life has had an unexpected knock-on effect on the web site of an escort agency implicated in the scandal.


Lord John Browne resigned as CEO of the oil giant earlier this week after losing a court case over the release of documents detailing his relationship with Jeff Chevalier. Browne's resignation was due not to the relationship but because he had initially misled the court about how he had met Chevalier. After originally claiming in witness statements that the two had met in Battersea Park, it later emerged that they had met through an escort agency.

A report in the Wall Street Journal said that the escort agency in question was called Suited and Booted. The agency has a web site registered at www.suitedandbooted.com. However, a visit to the site now produces only the following message: "We apologise that suitedandbooted.com website is down due to technical reasons."

It's not uncommon for web sites for organisations suddenly thrust into the headlines to become unavailable, either as a result of excessive traffic or simply in a bid to minimise publicity. Escort agencies typically try to maintain a low public profile to ensure that their clients and staff can retain anonymity.

The Suited and Booted site has been in operation since 1999, and advertised the company as "London's premier escort agency, offering a first name, friendly and personal service", according to Google's cache.