British art collector Charles Saatchi has accepted a police caution for assault following an incident with his wife, celebrity chef Nigella Lawson, outside a London restaurant. The Sunday People tabloid showed pictures of Saatchi, a wealthy 70-year-old former advertising executive, with his hand around Lawson\'s neck as they sat at a table outside a seafood restaurant. The publicity-shy art collector, who owns London\'s Saatchi Gallery, agreed to accept a police caution on Monday, according to media reports Tuesday. \"A 70-year-old man voluntarily attended a central London police station and accepted a caution for assault,\" London\'s Metropolitan Police said in a statement. It said officers were aware of the Sunday People article \"and carried out an investigation\". Cautions are handed to adults who admit a minor offence and can be used as evidence of bad character in court. A suspect who does not accept a caution may be arrested and charged. They are not criminal convictions. Saatchi told the London Evening Standard newspaper: \"We were sitting outside a restaurant having an intense debate about the children, and I held Nigella\'s neck repeatedly while attempting to emphasise my point. \"There was no grip, it was a playful tiff.\"