Judge finds venue owner harassed occupant by starting to remove The Cricketers' roof; £2,000 awarded

Mixed · 2A judge has found that Ravinder Laly, owner of The Cricketers at the Oval in Kennington, south London, harassed Nicola Saia by starting to demolish the roof while Saia was asleep inside, and awarded Saia £2,000 in damages. 1 2 Mixed · 2The Cricketers, built in the 1860s, was a music venue that hosted acts including The Pogues, Happy Mondays and Fairport Convention before being converted into flats. 2 1 Mixed · 2Saia had earlier stayed in the building with permission as a property guardian. He told the court the property was unfit to live in but that he had to stay until he could move into temporary accommodation on 29 July 2023, because the council had deemed him homeless. 2 1

Mixed · 2Saia said Laly repeatedly threatened from 3 July 2023 that the roof would come down if he did not leave. At about 9am on 18 July 2023 he was woken by loud banging and found debris falling through a hole in his living room ceiling. His barrister, Kevin Brown, said builders had made a hole through the roof and ceiling of the living room, bathroom and one bedroom, with Laly present. 2 1 Mixed · 2Saia sued Laly and his company RSL Slough Ltd for harassment and unlawful eviction, claiming 'shock, stress, anxiety and inconvenience' and seeking up to £60,000. His barrister said he had suffered harm to his mental health and remains traumatised. Laly denied harassment and unlawful eviction and disputed that Saia was legally a tenant. 2 1 Mixed · 2Recorder Tom Shepherd accepted Saia's evidence that agents instructed by Laly began removing the roof knowing he was inside. He called this 'unacceptable and oppressive' and 'clearly calculated to cause alarm and distress', and said Laly could have obtained a possession order and used bailiffs, or put up fences or barricades. He said it was the imminence of the threats to demolish that 'stepped over the line'. 1 2

Mixed · 2The judge also found that Laly harassed Saia by briefly cutting off his water. He dismissed claims that cutting the WiFi and boarding up the property to 'trap' Saia amounted to harassment. He found Saia was not a legal tenant, so there was no breach of the Protection from Eviction Act, under which most of the damages claim was made. 2 1 Mixed · 2Laly's barrister, Ben Leb, said his clients had a 'licence' to enter the property and counter-sued Saia for trespass. The judge found Saia was 'technically a trespasser' but rejected claims of damage by him and awarded nominal damages of £1. The Cricketers was fully demolished in 2024. 1 2