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.
Kulsuma Aktergetty images
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