Nicholas van Hoogstraten’s household firm ’employed thugs’ for housebreaking

The firm owned by kids of infamous prison tycoon Nicholas Van Hoogstraten allegedly employed thugs to burgle a luxurious Chelsea flat amid a row over a roof extension, a court docket has heard.

Omani Estates Limited – a property firm owned and run by Van Hoogstraten’s eldest son Max Hamilton and three of his siblings – declare they personal the roof house above Maria El Massouri’s flat.

The High Court heard Mrs Massouri and her husband bought their flat in swish Finborough Road – the place properties can fetch upwards of £1m. They later obtained planning permission in 2002 to construct a mansard roof extension on prime of their second flooring flat.

However, when Mrs Massouri utilized for opposed possession in 2020 over the world lined by her extension to carry it contained in the authorized footprint of her flat, Omani Estates Limited objected alleging that it was a trespass on its property – 18 years after it was accomplished.

The court docket heard that Omani Estates Ltd can be run by Britannia Hamilton, 33, Richmond Hamilton, 33, Alexander Hamilton, 36.

They are 4 of the youngsters of Nicholas Adolf von Hessen, 78, beforehand Van Hoogstraten, a infamous property tycoon and landlord whose fortune was estimated at £800m within the early 2000s.

He is notorious for his remedy of tenants – who he as soon as reportedly described as ‘scumbags’ – and has served jail time, together with for paying a gang to throw a grenade into the Brighton home of Rabbi Bernard Braunstein, whose son owed him a debt.

He was described by a decide presiding over considered one of his circumstances as ‘a type of self-imagined satan who likes to consider himself as an emissary of Beelzebub’.

He was jailed in 2002 for the manslaughter of former enterprise accomplice Mohammed Raja, who was shot and stabbed on his London doorstep by thugs in 1999.

He was launched a 12 months later when the Court of Appeal overturned his conviction, however was subsequently sued in a civil court docket and ordered to pay £6million to Mr Raja’s household.

Backing its declare to possession of the loft space, Omani Estates Limited pointed to the phrases of a lease which was made in 1996 and subsequently purchased by the corporate in May 2017.

Hugh Jackson, for Mrs Massouri, instructed decide Nicholas Caddick KC that for the reason that objection was raised, the corporate ‘repeatedly organized for brokers to burgle her flat, eradicating its entrance door and later for armed thugs to smash safety cameras from its partitions.’

Mr Jackson added: ‘Later nonetheless, the defendant [the company] had organized for contractors to erect scaffolding to the rear of the constructing on prime of the rear extension forming a part of the backyard flat, and to enter the mansard lodging, breaking the balusters within the stairs to the mansard…and putting in a horizontal partition on blocks, separating the mansard from the half initially leased to the claimant and her late husband.

‘The firm’s contractors additionally screwed up doorways to residential lodging within the mansard,’ he instructed the decide, including: ‘Given their in depth involvement in property companies, the administrators of Omani Estates Ltd may be anticipated to be acquainted with the truth that self-help within the case of trespass was more likely to be illegal.’

Mrs Massouri is now suing the corporate, looking for damages for trespass and for a declaration that she owns the loft house through opposed possession – also called ‘squatters’ rights.’ Her husband handed away in 2013.

But attorneys for Omani Estates Limited are counterclaiming, asking for an order stating that it owns the loft house and that Mrs Massouri is the ‘trespasser.’

They additionally deny the corporate ordered ‘thugs’ – or anyone else – into her flat, whereas admitting erecting scaffolding, eradicating a door and putting in the wood ‘partition’ throughout the steps.

In its written defence to the motion, the corporate’s attorneys model the roof extension ‘illegal’ and say: ‘On a real development of the second flooring lease, the loft house and or flat roof space of the constructing on the efficient third flooring of the property was not included within the demise.

‘It is averred that, in any respect materials occasions, the claimant and her husband knew or must have recognized that the claimant had no authorized property or curiosity within the roof space.’

Regarding the alleged intrusions into Mrs Massouri’s flat – which she presently rents out – the corporate’s attorneys say removing of the door was crucial, because it was a ‘nuisance and/or trespass which the defendant was entitled to treatment.’

‘The door was faraway from its hinges by third get together contractors, however the door was not broken or faraway from the property,’ the corporate says.

‘It is admitted that the partition was erected by the defendant’s third get together contractors.

‘The scaffolding was erected solely upon areas included throughout the defendant’s demise.

‘The third get together contractors have been expressly instructed to not enter the premises demised by the second flooring flat lease.

‘To the extent that it’s alleged, it’s denied that the defendant and/or its brokers attended the property and/or instructed any third get together to take action on their behalf.

‘The defendant has a proper to possession of the extension in as far as it’s located within the roof space.

‘The claimant occupies the trespass land with out the defendant’s licence or consent.’

Mr Hamilton, who’s a witness within the case, instructed the decide that Mrs Massouri and her late husband ‘do not personal’ the loft house they constructed their extension into.

He added that ‘because the eldest son’ he’s ‘senior’ within the working of Omani Estate, however he denied that anybody on behalf of it instructed anyone to enter or ‘burgle’ Mrs Massouri’s property.

Mr Jackson put to him that he admitted {that a} wood ‘horizontal partition with blocks supporting it on the steps’ had been put in to dam entry to the loft extension.

‘How might the blocks be screwed to the stairwell with out getting into Mrs Massouri’s flat? The contractors would have needed to dangle the other way up by their ankles,’ he stated.

‘They have been instructed to not enter Mrs Massouri’s property,’ Mr Hamilton replied.

Mr Jackson continued: ‘One of the techniques utilized by your father up to now was to purchase a freehold and drive the tenants out. He would use all kinds of means, together with taking any individual’s stairs out.

‘He would put in yobs to create a nuisance and make a number of noise to drive tenants out. Have you ever heard your father name tenants scumbags?’ 

Mr Hamilton replied: ‘No I’ve solely heard that within the media.’

‘Do you regard tenants as scumbags?’ requested the barrister. ‘No. A number of our enterprise is short-term tenancies,’ stated Mr Hamilton.

Mr Jackson quoted from a letter, stated to be penned by Mr Hamilton’s brother and co-director Alexander, referring to Mrs Massouri as ‘a fraudster’.

‘Do you agree?’ he requested. ‘The undeniable fact that she has prolonged previous the demise…If you do not personal one thing, would you construct into an space that was not a part of your lease?’ Mr Hamilton replied.