A woman fled naked to a neighbour’s home after a former Vogue model forced her to strip and threw boiling water at her, a court heard.
Archie Soames, 30, of Westminster, exhibited a ‘pattern of behaviour’ in which he ‘physically and mentally abused’ three former partners between 2019 and 2025, jurors at Southwark Crown Court were told.
Soames, a former British army soldier, denies 13 charges including controlling and coercive behaviour, actual bodily harm, false imprisonment, intentional strangulation and criminal damage.
Prosecutor Imogen Nelson said: ‘In a nutshell, it is the prosecution’s case that Archie Soames is a serial abuser of women, and he subjected all three of the women to coercive and controlling behaviour.’
Jennifer Calliste was subjected to a horrific assault on 21 May 2020, the court heard.
Ms Nelson said: ‘He punched her repeatedly at one stage causing her to black out.
‘He smacked her with a mop handle, forced her to strip naked, and threw boiling water at her.
‘She ran totally naked to her neighbours’ flat into the shower to cool down the burns.’
Archie Soames, 30, of Westminster, exhibited a ‘pattern of behaviour’ in which he ‘physically and mentally abused’ three former partners between 2019 and 2025, jurors at Southwark Crown Court were told
Soames was arrested but jurors were told ‘at that stage Ms Calliste was not supportive with the investigation’.
In February 2023 Soames met his second alleged victim, Gabriella Marshall, who moved into his Pimlico flat in the summer of that year.
‘Ms Marshall will say there were numerous occasions where Soames was abusive towards her,’ the prosecutor said.
In one incident in August 2023, Soames allegedly ‘slapped her in the face and kicked her in the groin,’ before he twice ‘strangled her to the point of being unable to breathe.’
Other violent outbursts saw the former Vogue model destroying various of Ms Marshall’s belongings, including her glasses and two laptops.
She added: ‘In a similar way to Ms Calliste, the defendant’s conduct culminated in a final violent incident which led her to decide to leave the relationship in July 2024.
‘Ms Marshall will say the defendant became abusive and jealous because he thought her sister was advising her to leave him.’
The prosecutor described how Soames ‘punched her, causing her to fall to the floor’ before kicking her with his ‘work boots’ from when he worked at a construction site.
Jurors heard he forcibly unlocked Ms Marshall’s phone to transfer £700 to himself before making ‘numerous threats that he would rape, kill, and stab others.’
He was arrested again following the incident but told police in a prepared statement ‘he had never seen any injury on her and if she suffered any injuries he did not cause them.’
Southwark Crown Court heard he made one of his victims strip naked before throwing boiling water over her
Soames then met his third victim, Anna Traore, on Tinder in early 2025 – but their relationship ‘became abusive within two weeks.’
Ms Nelson said: ‘He was abusive to her both physically and verbally.
‘He would call her a ‘dumb b****’ and throw her to the floor.’ She added: ‘He would make her feel worthless.’
She said Soames would ‘make her feel guilty’ for making new acquaintances at a time when she was feeling ‘lonely in London and had limited friends to rely on.’
The prosecutor described a ‘pattern of behaviour’ in which Soames would ‘shout at her, they would part ways, he would call her, and she would return.’
And in a final violent episode on 10 July 2025, Ms Nelson described how, after Ms Traore refused sex, Soames ‘threw her belongings and broke her mobile phone.’
‘The defendant would not let her leave the flat and was spitting on her face,’ the prosecutor said.
‘She was locked in [and in] fear for six hours and she was terrified.’
Jurors were told Soames’s twin brother Karl was in the living room during the incident and Ms Traore was blamed for starting an argument between them.
Soames appeared in court today wearing a navy suit jacket over a white shirt and burgundy tie.
He denies counts of controlling and coercive behaviour, actual bodily harm and false imprisonment against Ms Calliste and controlling and coercive behaviour, actual bodily harm, intentional strangulation, false imprisonment and two counts of causing criminal damage regarding Ms Marshall.
Soames also denies controlling and coercive behaviour, false imprisonment, assault by beating and criminal damage in relation to Ms Traore.
He previously modelled alongside his brother for ASOS and appeared in Vogue on the runway for Vivienne Westwood in 2018.
Soames has also released three music tracks under his own label Clon3way and the artist name 2Crashi, titled Crooks, CRY, and Letter 2 Clone.
The trial continues and is expected to last two weeks.
