‘Britain’s worst landlord’ is accused of ‘harassing’ councillors

A millionaire dubbed ‘Britain’s worst landlord’ has been accused of harassing councillors regardless of a earlier court docket injunction which price him £125,000.

Ashford Borough Council (ABC) claims Fergus Wilson, 73, as soon as the most important personal landlord within the nation, has continued to harass and insult its employees, regardless of authorized motion a few years in the past.  

The injunction got here after a ‘decade of harassment’ by which the buy-to-let landlord repeatedly instructed councillors to kill themselves and despatched big numbers of unsolicited letters and emails.

ABC’s authorized consultant Adam Solomon KC beforehand handed over a staggering 454 items of correspondence despatched by Mr Wilson to council officers within the area of simply over 4 years – between February 2016 and July 2020.

Mr Soloman mentioned his behaviour had made employees really feel harassed and intimidated, with some receiving emails from him every day.

Mr Wilson had been banned from contacting Ashford Borough Council for all times after aggressively abusing employees there, together with telling councilors to kill themselves 

Wilson together with his spouse Judith (pictured) who purchased up scores of properties within the Eighties 

He was served a everlasting injunction stopping him from contacting present and former officers, workers, councillors and brokers of the council.

The judgment required he ought to solely talk with one senior officer on the council.

The case concluded in September 2021 and in May 2022, the court docket ordered Mr Wilson to make a fee of £125,000 to Ashford Borough Council as a component fee ‘on account’ whereas the total prices are assessed.

The council believes this worth, just below 75 per cent of their estimated prices of £170,000, represents an inexpensive sum.

But this week, Anthony Dunne KC, sitting as a Judge of the High Court, heard proof from the authority that because the earlier injunction was secured, Mr Wilson has on a number of events continued to contact and harass employees and councillors on a spread of points.

Mr Wilson, of Boughton Monchelsea close to Maidstone, represented himself in court docket.

Judge Dunne reserved judgment and is anticipated to publish his resolution subsequent month.

A earlier High Court listening to heard some employees had acquired every day messages of abuse, the court docket heard, resulting in some feeling bullied and distressed, being unable to reply to allegations and breaking down in tears.

Included within the council’s proof was a letter, despatched to former council chief Gerry Clarkson’s residence tackle, calling him a ‘buffoon’, ‘an a******’, ‘a bag of ****’ and mentioned he ought to ‘do all of the younger folks in Ashford a service and commit suicide’.

Fergus Wilson, 73, had beforehand been stopped from promoting off his properties to plead poverty to dodge a authorized invoice

Ashford Borough Council’s (pictured) consultant, Adam Soloman KC, handed in a staggering 454 copies of correspondence to the High Court, despatched by Wilson to council officers between February 2016 and July 2020

Wilson additionally referred to a feminine member of employees as an ‘objectionable girl’ and ‘Michelin girl’ in an electronic mail the place he known as for her to be sacked.

The council later took additional authorized motion as a result of Mr Wilson defaulted on three court docket judgements regarding the fee of £250,000 authorized prices.

But the multi-millionaire claimed he had no cash and was unable to pay.

Mr Wilson started quickly disposing of their property and the council believed there was a threat that the prices orders of the court docket would go unhappy, and that future orders could be pissed off if a freezing injunction was not made

Investigators claimed Mr Wilson and his spouse, Judith, made greater than £40million from the sale of 166 properties – with £35 million made within the final two years.

A High Court injunction stopped him from disposing of the remaining property, together with 5 houses he owns in Ashford, Kent.

Mr Wilson mentioned his spouse Judith Wilson would pay £250,000 to the council.

Six years in the past, the owner gained infamy for banning tenants he described as ‘colored’ as a result of he mentioned they ‘smell like curry’.

In 2017 this ban was overturned in a court docket victory for the Equality and Human Rights Commission.