Gates Of Hell: Neighbours' Court Fight Continues

Court Date: Sally & David Catchpole

A horse whisperer and his wife, who won a bitter land dispute with their rural neighbours, have now been accused of lying in a private prosecution brought by the next-door couple.

Horse behaviourist David Catchpole, 63, and his wife Sally Catchpole, 66, are accused of perjuring themselves during the eight-year long civil fight.

Today, they faced off at Guildford Crown Court with music teacher Steven Sammut, 56, and his wife Sandra Sammut, 54, who have escalated the case to the criminal courts.

The dispute centres around a patch of sloping land, which provides access from the public road to a large side gate on the Catchpole’s property.

It is adjacent to the Sammut’s gate in a part of Surrey where properties routinely sell for over one million pounds.

The Sammut’s were ordered to pay £65,99.86 costs to the Catchpole’s, which rose to over £122,000 when they lost an appeal to the High Court.

It is believed they now have a total legal bill of approximately £350,000 and the Catchpole’s have had to spend around £140,000 in legal fees.

In 2018 the Catchpole’s won a civil case at Winchester County Court, which ruled the Sammut’s had no right to prevent them using the land.

Twin Gates: Disputed Land

The Sammut’s have now brought a criminal private prosecution against their neighbours and the Catchpole’s arrived on bail at the Crown Court and have had to instruct a barrister for the new case.

The Catchpole’s, of Glenhead Farm, Hyde Lane, Churt, Farnham are both charged with wilfully making false statements in judicial proceedings on March 12 and 13, 2018.

They are also both charged with obstructing the course of public justice on or about June 1, 2020 by providing false and misleading information regarding their property boundaries to Aldershot & Farnham County Court.

The couple are also jointly charged with the theft of a telegraph pole belonging to the Sammut’s between July 1 and July 31, 2020.

It is believed the Sammut’s, of Hyde Hill Farm, Hyde Lane, Churt, Farnham placed the pole across the disputed land to designate their boundary.

David Catchpole is the boss of Horse Wyse and provides £100 per hour lessons and clinics to equine owners.

Private Prosecution: Steve & Sandra Sammut

The couple use the gate next to the disputed land to provide additional access for horse and sheep to their farm.

Steven Sammut, who studied classical guitar at London’s Trinity College of Music, is the CEO and founder of Aldershot’s Rock & Pop Foundation.

After bringing the private prosecution it took over a year to bring the Catchpole’s to Guildford Magistrates’ Court, where they appeared for the first time last month.

Mr Sammut told the court yesterday: “This case has been going on for eight years and since the last magistrates court appearance I have had two heart attacks.

“It has taken fifteen months just to get here, fifteen months of interest charges between us. These delays are costing us dearly.”

The Sammut’s have applied to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to take over and finance the case.

The hearing was adjourned to May 28 for the CPS’s decision.