Riviera Feud: Local Resident Back In Court

Stephen Parsons

A bitter dispute between a Thames side resident and a luxury marina boat owner has resulted in another arrest and conviction for a local homeowner.

Retired construction boss Stephen Howard Parsons, 66, lives next to Hampton Riviera Boatyard and believes vessel-owners are running an illegal B&B business. 

Locals residents have made multiple objections to planning applications by the riviera and say motion-sensor alarms protecting the boats constantly wake them at night.

He returned to Wimbledon Magistrates Court where he pleaded guilty to assaulting boat owner Klaus Beversluis, 50, at the riviera on December 21, last year.

Parsons also pleaded guilty to using threatening behaviour towards Mr. Beversluis on the same occasion.

He was fined a total of £437, with £200 costs and was ordered to pay a £33 victim surcharge.

Earlier this year Parsons, who lives in £1.2m Thames Cottage, Hampton Court Road, East Molesey was convicted of smashing security equipment owned by the riviera.

He was caught on CCTV breaking the cameras owned by Mr. Beversluis and marina owner Myck Djurberg, 58. 

Parsons was also convicted of threatening behaviour at Mr. Beversluis’s girlfriend’s home in Dorchester Road, Worcester Park the next day and causing criminal damage to the front door.

On that occasion the court ordered he complete a twelve-month community order, which included 80 hours community service.

Parsons was also ordered to pay £100 compensation for Mr. Beversluis’s camera and £150 for Natasha Knight’s front door.

The court made an indefinite restraining order prohibiting him contacting the couple and Mr. Djurberg.

Klaus Beversluis

The court heard he was caught on camera smashing the CCTV with a large wooden bat at 9.45pm, including one protecting the ‘Lucy Aswell’ one of three boats owned by Mr. Beversluis. 

The next day he turned up on the doorstep of Mr. Beversluis, who told the court: “He shouted: ‘You’ve made a big f***ing mistake’ and forced his way through the door and I tried to push back. 

“His hands pushed the door and then his leg came through the doorway.

“I almost couldn’t believe it, it was a surreal experience. I knew him from the marina, but to see him shouting at the door was very frightening.

“He was shouting and was very, very aggressive and if he accessed the property there would have been a lot of damage to humans or property. He was rampaging.

“He has assaulted us before and threatened to throw Natasha into the river. He was using all of his force, his leg was blocking the door, I couldn’t close it.”

Mr. Beversluis admitted renting out his boats, a sideline shut down by the council after local residents’ objections. “I don’t think that is illegal in this day and age,” he argued.

Parsons told the court he wanted to sound a personal alarm in Mr. Beversluis’s face to give him a taste of what the residents had endured, but the front door was slammed on him.

Parsons claimed Mr. Beversluis damaged his own door. “It was slammed in my face with great force.

“I consider myself the victim and I did not go there hot tempered or angry. 

“I wanted to sort out a long-standing problem. The people in that house were running an illegal bed and breakfast from the boats.”

The court heard the local residents have made multiple complaints about the marina to the police, the London Borough of Richmond-upon-Thames, the Environmental Agency and local MP Vince Cable.