By Gavin Mackintosh-
An £80K court fine against rogue landlord, Robert Crow, has been incredibly dropped at after a hearing at Southend Magistrates Court last Friday.
The court had held about three hearings this year in an attempt to establish how mr.Crow would pay the mounting fines, threatening to put a charge on his property to recoup the money owed to them.
The courts dropped the huge fine on the grounds that mr.Crow would never be able to pay the large sum which had accrued over two convictions for breaches to an HMO. Its conclusion that mr.Crow would never be able to pay the fine flies in the face of the fact that mr.Crow is the sole owner of 4 flats in a desirable part of Southend On Sea.
Mr. Crow’s properties together amount to an estimate of £600,000, large enough to see off any fine, although the despised landlord had no immediate financial source of paying the fine. Also, one of his lenders has already repossessed one of his properties, which is currently up for sale.
The surprising court outcome drew a line over nearly two years of continuous court battle between mr,Crow and The Southend Borough Council. Mr. Crow’s presence in the plush Devereux Road in Southend On Sea has led to tensions between him and his neighbours told The Eye Of Media.Com:
”I was shocked by they dropped the fine. It’s a huge relief. Now, I have to continue the fight not to loose my property. Ever since this council stopped benefit in take, I have been threatened by lenders left right and centre.
Mr Crow had been slapped with an extra fine of £44k after loosing an appeal at Basildon Magistrates court in 2018,for HMP breaches 4 years earlier- in 2016. After loosing that case, mr.Crow appealed the original conviction of £40,000, of which he had paid nearly £4,000 during that time.
That case was lost again, building his fines to the huge figure of £80k. Mr.Crow was surprised to discover he had received an unlikely pardon
The unorthodox landlord is still living in darkness after his metre was seized by energy suppliers Ovo, due to mounting electricity debts to the tune of £2,000. Mr.Crow alleges he has been the victim of a campaign to make him bankrupt, and has always been dismissive about complaints relating to the past state of his property.