A woman accused a billionaire of placing his company into liquidation to avoid paying her compensation for sexual discrimination.

Wadhurst Park Ltd, near Crowborough, was ordered to pay almost £160,000 to Dr Lanny Bezant at an employment tribunal in September.

The company is run by Professor Hans Rausing, who was number two in the Sunday Times Rich List 2002, with a reported personal fortune of £4.5 billion.

The company, now called Tertiary Enterprises Ltd, was placed into liquidation four months ago leading to fears by Dr Bezant that the money would not be paid.

In December, in an attempt to secure her compensation, she applied for an enforcement order, naming Prof Rausing and not the company as the party liable to pay up.

Yesterday, Ashford County Court set aside the application, ruling Prof Rausing was not liable.

Dr Bezant was ordered to pay Prof Rausing's £836 legal bill.

Mother-of-five Dr Bezant, 58, of Tenterden in Kent, was sacked at the same time as her husband, Richard, 56.

The company conceded at the employment tribunal that Dr Bezant lost her job, as marketing director, because she was Mr Bezant's wife.

After the hearing, Dr Bezant said: "We will go on until we win. We are foiled by the letter of the law but we will never give up."

Prof Rausing's lawyer, Toby Graham, said the liquidation was "no sham" and that the decision was not taken by his client.

In 2001, Dr Bezant and her husband, who had been the estate's managing director for 22 years, failed at an employment tribunal to win claims of unfair dismissal. It was alleged that Mr Bezant had fiddled his expenses and filled in incorrect tax returns.

The couple are also appealing against that decision.