1200 chase athletics star over Bill Clinton's axed speech

Jul 6 2008 By Norman Silvester

OLYMPIC runner Brian Whittle is being chased by hundreds of angry customers who paid £170 a time to see Bill Clinton speak in Scotland.

The former athletics hero's firm - PB Events - sold 1200 tickets for the speech in Aberdeen last month.

The appearance was cancelled just five days before the event when Whittle's company were unable to pay Clinton's £250,000 fee in advance.

But hundreds of clients who paid up-front are still waiting for refunds and accuse Whittle of ignoring their calls.

Retired salesman Bill Hamilton, 64, and his wife Kathleen, 60, of Inverness, paid £223.25 for two tickets.

They have repeatedly tried to contact PB Events' Glasgow offices for a refund but all their calls have gone unanswered.

Angry Bill said: "We had booked an overnight stay in a hotel in Aberdeen and paid kennelling fees for our dog so we were now more than £300 out of pocket.

"Whittle should not be organising events like this if his firm cannot pay back the ticket money." When the Sunday Mail called at PB's offices in Kinning Park, Glasgow, last week the main door was locked and the phone rang out.

Whittle, 44, of Bothwell, Lanarkshire, is a co-director of PB Events with former Scotland rugby star Derek Stark.

In 1996 his firm BrianWhittle Sports Ltd folded after it failed to pay Adidas and a second creditor a total of £5250.

PB blame the Clinton cancellation on two main sponsors pulling out.

Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference centre say PB Events also owe them money.

They said: "We have been unable to contact them."

A friend of Whittle said: "Both guys are devastated the event was cancelled due to circumstances outwith their control.

"They have not profited from the event and are looking at every possible avenue to try to pay back those who bought tickets.

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