A famous Victoire as Pierre is cleared of assault

Restaurateur Pierre Levicky has no doubt gathered some cherished souvenirs during his decades in the food business.

But the latest momento for his collection is the copy of the Evening News that brought him the shock news that he was to be prosecuted for assault - a charge he has branded "baffling".

Levicky today spoke of his relief at being cleared of attacking an environmental warden during an inspection at his upmarket West End eaterie.

It had been claimed that the Frenchman, who once owned one of the UK's most successful chain of restaurants, threw city council environmental warden Barry Inglis out of Pierre Victoire restaurant in Eyre Place.

Yesterday at Edinburgh Sheriff Court, the Crown accepted the 51-year-old's not guilty plea. Levicky said it was "baffling" that the case had come so far, and it had hung over him since last July.

He revealed that he had only discovered the assault charge pending against him when he read it in the Evening News - and has kept a souvenir copy from that day.

"I only heard about it when I read it in a newspaper, your newspaper. It was quite a shock. I've actually kept a copy from that day.

"I'm definitely glad it's over, it's been hanging over me for a long time so I'm glad it's finished."

The restaurateur did plead guilty to failing to comply with a noise abatement notice between November 3, 2009, and August 9, 2010, following complaints that a noisy extractor fan had consistently disturbed residents living above the eaterie.

Environmental wardens contacted the chef on a number of occasions about the complaints, but his comment to them was: "You'll have to catch me first."

Defence solicitor James Stephenson told Sheriff Gordon Liddle: "If my client had kept in touch with the council he would not have been in court today".

He added that the chef had spent 2800 on replacing the offending fan and that "there have been no more statutory notices and he is on good terms with those in the flat above".

Sheriff Liddle deferred sentence for a year.

After the court case, Levicky told the Evening News: "I am pleased it's over. I was surprised when he (Mr Inglis] said he'd been assaulted.

"We didn't have an argument as such. He was carrying out a job.

"I would have different ways of doing the job, there was a difference of opinion.

"I don't actually know what he said had happened, but it was quite baffling."

Pierre Victoire, which collapsed 12 years ago, was relaunched last year.