Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Legal battle over 20ft strip lands doctor with £200,000 bill

Dr Veena Paes was in dispute with her neighbours over the ownership of a piece of land situated between her £1 million south London home and her neighbours’ properties

Legal battle over 20ft strip lands doctor with £200,000 bill

A doctor, Dr Veena Paes, has been ordered to pay a £200,000 court bill after being accused of orchestrating a land grab from her three neighbours in a dispute over a 20 feet strip of land between their properties.

In a contentious court battle, Dr Veena Paes was in dispute with her neighbours over the ownership of a significant piece of land measuring 84ft by 20ft. The land is situated between Dr Paes' £1 million south London home and her neighbours' properties, with the neighbours firmly considering it to be an integral part of their back gardens.


In 2015, Dr Paes and her finance boss husband Melanius claimed Victorian documents proved the land was theirs, despite it being used as communal garden space by the neighbours and the previous house owners.

The bitter court battle lasted for three years, during which Dr Paes was accused of tearing down a trellis in a fit of rage when she didn't get her way.

The judge ruled against Dr Paes and her husband, stating that they had engaged in a deliberate attempt to seize land that didn't belong to them.

The neighbours' lawyers criticised Dr Paes' conduct, describing their case as a “pack of lies” and accusing her of using “bullying” tactics.

With the court battle coming to an end this week, Recorder Green ruled against the couple in a verdict delivered at Central London County Court, asserting that they had engaged in an "ambitious attempt to seize land not belonging to them," The Daily Mail reported.

Subsequently, the couple now faces significant lawyers' bills amounting to more than £200,000.

The legal conflict involved Dr Veena Paes and her husband, who were in opposition to their neighbours - Thomas and Florence Benton, Robert Gilder and Althea D'Lima, and Mohammed Shaffi. These individuals own properties situated on the corner of Bickersteth Road, Tooting.

The disputed strip of land, runs behind the three houses owned by the neighbours and alongside the side wall and garden of Dr Paes' property, which is positioned around the corner in Trevelyan Road.

More For You

Modi meets Vance, family in Paris

Narendra Modi in a group picture with US vice president JD Vance and his wife Usha Vance and their children Ewan and Vivek, at Elysee Palace in Paris. (ANI Photo)

Modi meets Vance, family in Paris

US vice president JD Vance and Indian prime minister Narendra Modi spoke on Tuesday (11) about how the US can assist India in diversifying its energy sourcing through investments in US nuclear technology, the White House said.

The meeting between Vance and Modi in Paris, where they were both attending an artificial intelligence summit, came ahead of the prime minister's US visit later this week in which topics like trade, investment, technology and immigration are expected to be discussed.

Keep ReadingShow less
Heathrow to submit third runway proposal by summer

A British Airways passenger plane takes off behind houses next to land earmarked for a third runway at Longford near Heathrow Airport. REUTERS/Toby Melville

Heathrow to submit third runway proposal by summer

LONDON's Heathrow Airport, one of the world's busiest hubs, will submit its proposal for a third runway to the British government by summer, its chief executive Thomas Woldbye will say in a speech on Wednesday (12).

The move comes after chancellor Rachel Reeves said last month the government would back the construction of a new runway at Heathrow to boost trade and economic growth.

Keep ReadingShow less
trump-musk-

Musk, standing alongside Trump in the Oval Office with his 4-year-old son, said he was leading the effort to cut government waste. (Photo: Getty Images)

Trump, Musk move to cut federal workforce under new order

US PRESIDENT Donald Trump has directed federal agencies to work with Elon Musk to identify government jobs that can be cut and functions that can be eliminated.

The move is part of an effort to reduce the federal workforce and align it with Trump’s policy priorities.

Keep ReadingShow less
Ed-Miliband-India

Miliband said his meetings with Indian officials reinforced the commitment to work together in key areas, including grid modernisation, offshore wind, and industrial decarbonisation.

Exclusive: UK-India energy partnership strengthens as Miliband backs clean transition

BRITAIN sees India as a “crucial partner” as both countries aim to deepen their cooperation on clean energy, with a focus on renewables and climate action, UK secretary of state for energy security and net zero, Ed Miliband, said.

On a visit to India this week, Miliband highlighted India’s ambitious renewable energy targets and its commitment to achieving net zero by 2070.

Keep ReadingShow less
Bangladesh's former government accused of 'crimes against humanity'

Sheikh Hasina (Photo credit: Getty Images)

Bangladesh's former government accused of 'crimes against humanity'

BANGLADESH's former government was behind systematic attacks and killings of protesters as it strived to hold onto power last year, the UN said Wednesday (12), warning the abuses could amount to "crimes against humanity".

Before premier Sheikh Hasina was toppled in a student-led revolution last August, her government oversaw a systematic crackdown on protesters and others, including "hundreds of extrajudicial killings", the UN said.

Keep ReadingShow less