Crispin Odey in February 2023. Picture: Aaron Chown/PA Media Former City banker Crispin Odey has dropped his £79m libel case against the Financial Times. The move comes almost two years after he filed the claim and three years after the FT and Tortoise Media jointly published accusations that he sexually assaulted multiple women. The FT planned to argue its reporting was substantially true and in the public interest. The FT received a letter from Odey’s lawyers on Friday afternoon stating that the 67-year-old had been “forced to accept” that the publication was “likely to succeed in establishing” its public interest defence. FT editor Roula Khalaf said: “This is a vindication for investigative journalism and for the victims whose stories of abuse we reported. “The FT was always confident in its reporting. This is a case that should have never been brought.” The paper said that two months ago it had served Odey with the “substantial” disclosure of evidence relating to its investigations into his behaviour that it had intended to rely on in court. The …