By Gavin Mackintosh-
Rogue landlord, Robert Crow was too broke to attend a courts fine hearing at Basildon Magistrates Court today. The 69 year old landlord who has missed his last two hearings due to diarrhea has been downing his sorrows in alcohol, his tenants told The Eye Of Media.Com this evening. The notorious Essex landlord was due at Basildon Crown Court this morning, but did not turn up, citing nausea and vomiting, which we hear has been triggered by excessive drinking in the last month. However, an overriding reason may have been his empty pockets, something the courts generally do not make allowance for.
During an early morning phone call aimed at establishing how he is planning to pay the outstanding £36k fine after his income was shut down by Southend Council, Crow told The Eye Of Media.Com: I have no money to go to court. Besides, I have been running stool for the past few days, I am not well enough to attend court anyway. When asked which was the real reason he wasn’t going to attend, being broke or running stool, he fumed: what sort of question is that? I am not well, which part of the word don’t you understand? If I were well, I wouldn’t have had the money to go anyway because I am not receiving any money except my pension, and all of them have gone on Mortgage arrears. I am eating from hand to mouth at the moment. If I was well, I would at least have been able to move around and try and borrow some money, but whether I get it would be another matter.
Crow who owns a property last estimated at about £700,000 in 2018 was not available for a current assessment of his property by a surveyor which he arranged on our request last week to establish the worth of his property. He has only received £300 in rent from one of his six tenants since November, and threatened to render them all homeless last month after they all declared their income to have been stopped by Southend Council. However, his tenants, who are legally lodgers have refused to leave the property, insisting that he must take them to court to achieve that end. Technically speaking, since their contract has run out mr.Crow does not need to follow the same route required for tenants, but the disorganised and indecisive landlord has still taking no steps to boot his lodgers out.
Why can’t he just get the police and get them out? Crow has been hanging unto empty promises from his good for nothing lodgers that they are waiting on funds from family members to pay him. There is also the strong possibility that he would feel lonely in the property alone, considering he has very few friends. A few of his lodgers are alcoholics and drug users and although Crow is strongly against drugs, he has a taste for the occasional brandy. Mr. Crow also drinks Guinness, leaving open the possibility he may have been indulging a bit too much on this to contain his misery.
DRINKING
One of mr. Crow’s lodgers told this publication that Crow has been drinking regularly in the week leading up to Christmas,becoming very temperamental at times because of the stress of his legal battles and financial straits. The tenant who insisted on anonymity said; ”it is no surprise he has diarrhea. He eats baked beans everyday and drinks out of date milk which he stores in his fridge. He has been drinking a lot of Guinness and Brandy. That’s what he spends his pension. He is the cause of his problems and ours, we are not going anywhere”. However, Crow denies this. Crow said: ”I reject the suggestion that I am an alcoholic, I drink occasionally, but it is not a major problem. My problem is that this system is so corrupt and illogical, how can I be expected to pay a big fine by a court, whilst the Council stop all my financial income? I am providing accommodation for the homeless, but The Council think it is alright for them to live here free?
Crow’s friends and family members have advised him to sell his property and start a new life, but the stubborn and unreasonable landlord is too stubborn and string headed to take good advice. Different members of this publication who have met him have advised him similarly, but he wants to fight the case against him to the end.
Meanwhile, Crow says the jail sentence of a private sector housing manager last week, 43 year old Steve Burrell, questions the credibility of the conviction against him. ”The conviction of Southend’s Council’s manager as a fraudster means my case should be reviewed. He was the driving force behind the case against me”. Crow, who is on a £500 monthly pension, spends most of his state income on arrears, feeding on reduced food from his local Tesco shop.The Eye Of Media.Com contacted Basildon Magistrates Court where he was due to attend today to find out the decision of the court, but was unsuccessful in getting through to the court. We will try again tomorrow, and send a mail for confirmation if a phone call does not get through.