A SCOTS property dealer said to be worth £400 million has been jailed for six months after a High Court judge ruled he disobeyed orders to provide financial details to his estranged wife and was in contempt of court.

Mr Justice Moor said Scot Young, 51, originally from Dundee, had been in "flagrant" contempt during a long-running High Court cash fight with Michelle Young, 48.

The judge described one explanation Mr Young had given for not complying with orders as "absurd" and said another response was "next to useless".

After the hearing Mrs Young told The Herald of her relief at the judgment and hope that the protracted legal battle was nearing its end.

She said: "I do [feel relief] because we have tried every way to get this man to conduct himself in these proceedings. He has defied every single court order over six and a half years.

"I have had to secure funding because he personally has hidden the assets unfairly. We started off together and I helped create what we had."

Mrs Young added: "What do you do with someone who hasn't disclosed over six and a half years and left their family completely destitute? It is very abusive. If this sets a precedent today to make other people like Scot Young think again that they can do this to their families then I don't think that is a bad thing."

Asked if the prison sentence was the right decision she said: "All I want to do is get what I rightly and fairly deserve and to move on. I would hope closure is close now."

The hearing at the High Court in London was the latest twist in a divorce dispute believed to be one of the biggest in British legal history.

High Court judges heard the Youngs, who both live in London and have two daughters, separated in 2006. In 2009, a judge ordered Mr Young to pay Mrs Young £27,500-a-month maintenance.

Mr Young, who had been described at earlier court hearings as a property tycoon, said he is bankrupt and cannot pay. Mrs Young said her ex-husband has "secreted enormous assets".

The pair lived a glamorous life when they were together, owning some of the finest homes in England and spending time flying by private jet and yachting in Monaco. Mr Young reportedly once bought his wife a Range Rover full of couture dresses by designer Maria Grachvogel. For her 40th birthday, he spent £1m on Graff diamond jewellery.

The property tycoon is also believed to count a number of celebrities among his friends, including Top Shop boss Sir Philip Green, X Factor impresario Simon Cowell and restaurateur Richard Caring, Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky and entrepreneur Sir Tom Hunter.

Since the split, Mr Young, who was raised on a council estate, has been dating 29-year-old model Noelle Reno, who he says he will marry once he gets through the divorce proceedings.

On hearing yesterday's verdict, Mr Young said he was "shocked" and added: "This is a sad day for British justice."

Ms Reno said: "It's not a great day. I didn't expect six months."

Lawyers representing Mrs Young had applied for Mr Young to be committed to prison for contempt of court. They told the judge Mr Young had given the High Court the "run around" after being ordered to provide details of his finances.

Mr Young, who represented himself at the court hearing, said Mrs Young was trying to commit him to prison out of "malice".

He said he had "done everything in my power" and asked Mr Justice Moor to give him more time to answer financial questions posed by Mrs Young. However, the judge said: "There has been a flagrant and deliberate contempt over a very long period of time."

Edward Fitzgerald, QC, for Mrs Young, had told the court Mr Young had been worth £400m in 2006 but had given "absolutely no explanation" about where that money had gone.

Mr Young told the court he had recently been "detained" in hospital under mental health legislation and had been unable to secure the services of a barrister.

Mr Justice Moor said the pair's competing claims would still have to be argued at a trial – due to take place later this year.