Charlotte Davies acts for Local Authority in trespass matter whereby occupants claimed to have purchased the property

Charlotte Davies (2007) successfully represented a local authority throughout proceedings and at the two-day final hearing in a matter brought in trespass for possession of a house which the occupants claimed to have purchased.

In an extraordinary case involving a fake tenancy agreement, forged land registry documentation, mortgage deeds and account statements, fake bank statements showing rent and mortgage payments, fake emails from non-existent employees of the local authority, fake screenshots of online chats with a bank, manipulated meta-data and, perhaps most shockingly, a fraudulent sealed court order allegedly made by a real District Judge purporting to dismiss the claim and award the Defendants a sum of over £1million each plus £250,000.00 in costs, Charlotte obtained a forthwith possession order, dismissal of the counterclaim, and a significant costs order against the Defendants.

The background circumstances of the matter were that the house had been put up for sale by the local authority in 2024 and had been viewed by one of the Defendants. Some time later, the property was visited by agents of the local authority for a routine inspection and the Defendants were discovered to be in occupation. The Defendants initially claimed to have a tenancy agreement and then later claimed to have purchased the property, producing various documents to support the assertion. The local authority brought proceedings during which the Defendants continued to assert ownership. The Defendants filed an audacious counterclaim for approximately £60,000.00 for, amongst other things, harassment and distress.

In remarkable courtroom scenes, the judge invited the First Defendant to call the alleged mortgage company and provide their name, address, contact details and mortgage account number, only for the court to hear that the lender had no record of the Defendants, their mortgage account, or the property in question.

Possession of the property has been secured and the matter is currently being investigated by the police.

Charlotte has a busy and diverse civil practice with specialist areas including property and landlord & tenant matters. 

If you wish to discuss anything in this article or you want to instruct Charlotte – or any member of the property team – you can contact her clerk Jamie Kyte on 01752 221551 or jamie@kbgchambers.co.uk.