Barber-To-The-Stars' Drink-Drive Lamborghini Row

A boozy barber-to-the-stars charged around in his £180,000 bright yellow Lamborghini, speeding and mounting pavements with his wife and three children in the car during a midnight row, a court heard.

Ahmed Al Sanawi, 35, lost his temper during a row at Grappelli Italian restaurant Cobham, near Chelsea FC’s training ground, where he trimmed the locks of stars including John Terry, Cesc Fabregas and Eden Hazard.

This led to the £90,000-a year crimper’s introduction to footballers including Paul Pogba; Kylian Mbappe; Erling Haaland; Jack Grealish and Reece James - all customers of the barber.

At Guildford Magistrates’ Court last week married Al Sanawi, who lives in a £950,000 Cobham property when he is not  also cutting hair in Dubai, pleaded guilty to driving dangerously on November 1, 2024.

He also pleaded guilty to driving in excess of the alcohol limit with 129mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood. The legal limit is 80.

The court heard trouble began around midnight when Al Sanawi got into a heated row with his sister-in-law’s partner, Connor Barbury and jumped behind the wheel of his powerful four-litre SUV-style vehicle.

“Both this defendant and Mr Barbury were driving alongside each other, stopping and then driving again and when Mr Al Sanawi attempted a U-turn he hit his sister-in-law’s car,” said prosecutor Ms Sophie Childs.

“She had been trying to reverse and this led to a physical altercation and Mr Al Sanawi got out as people tried to break things up.

“The children were very, very distressed at this point and even the restaurant staff were trying to help and the police received reports of him driving very dangerously in the High Street.

“He was swerving in between cars at high speed, drove on the pavement and stopped in front of Mr Barbury when there was another verbal dispute with people filming this.”

The court heard the men exchanged blows and police said the “highly intoxicated” Al Sanawi had a bloody nose and bruised face when they eventually arrested him.

There was also a fight between Al Sanawi’s wife Tanya and her sister.

“Mr Barbury returned to the restaurant and the defendant drove along the pavement in front of the restaurant,” added the prosecutor. 

“He drove off down Cobham High Street and the police attended at 12.40am and stopped him.

“There was damage to both the mens’ faces because they were fighting.

“The offence included speeding along the pavement, disregarding the risk to others, stopping multiple times and carrying out highly-dangerous manoeuvres all while impaired by alcohol.”

Al Sanawi’s lawyer Ralph Pickering told the court: “There was no driving alongside each other and no damage to any vehicles.”

The court heard Iraqi-born Al Sanawi is the face of his business - ‘A Star Barbers’, located in Chessington, south-west London.

“He knows how serious it is and realises he has to face the consequences,” added Mr Pickering. “My aim is to persuade the court not to send him to prison today.

“He has built a successful business, hairdressing and styling and he has built his business from the ground up and is the face of the business, with the financial backing from a Sheikh in Dubai.

“This is a hardworking, responsible, loving, supportive man and it was an act completely out of character,” added the lawyer, saying Al Sanawi used his high-profile to raise over £200,000 for Great Ormond Street Hospital.

“This was not Mr Al Sanawi at his best. In fact, it was one of the worst days of his life.

“He feels guilt and shame at letting his family down so badly and has received medical attention for anxiety.

“The events were short-lived and Mr Al Sanawi came off the worst from the physical altercation,” said Mr Pickering. “He received injuries, having been punched multiple times and was confused and scared for his family.

“Those were the primary drivers for his behaviour that evening. 

“He knows what he did was wrong and nobody feels more regret than him and he is deserving of a second chance. He is terrified of the prospect of imprisonment.”

Al Sanawi was sentenced to 200 hours community service work; fined £1,207, with £85 costs, plus a £114 victim surcharge and disqualified from driving for twelve months.

“It is two really serious offences, aggravated by the presence of children and members of the public were so scared they called 999,” announced bench  chairwoman Louise Tyrrell.

“However, these are your first offences, you have pleaded guilty, you have a clean driving record and you have demonstrated remorse.”

OAP Flouts Local Church Ban

An OAP, banned from his local church, has been fined for turning up to “pray for compassion,” a court heard.

Chris Ward, 74, is in dispute with St. Paul’s Community Church, Augustus Road, Wimbledon, which has taken several steps to ban him from the place of worship.

Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court heard the defendant was made subject to an anti-social behaviour warning, which was upgraded to another notice before being slapped with a Community Protection Notice (CPN).

He pleaded guilty to failing to comply with the CPN on November 10, last year when he attended the church and was fined £268, with £85 costs, plus a £107 victim surcharge.

Ward, of nearby Windlesham Grove told the court he was volunteering at the church’s food bank in their community centre on a previous occasion when he was made subject to a complaint.

“I was accused of entering the community centre before it opened by the manager in front of the vicar.

“There was a cleaner in there and I said: ‘Good morning,’ and she left.”

The prosecution told the hearing there was an ongoing issue between Ward and the Reverend of the church and community.

On November 10, Ward was seen entering the church through the front entrance, taking a seat and remaining for thirty minutes and was reported.

“I went there to pray for compassion,” Ward told the court.

Life Coach Gets Suspended Sentence For Grooming 14 Year-Old Girl 'Decoy'

A ‘practising psychic, hypnotherapist, life coach and spiritual healer’ who groomed a decoy 14 year-old girl online for oral sex has received a suspended prison sentence.

Author and former civil servant Jonathan Quinnell, 62, was snared by Dank Dragon - a volunteer group of online paedophile hunters - and reported to police.

Judge Edward Connell told the father-of-three at Croydon Crown Court: “A paedophile hunting group was posing online as a fourteen year-old girl on the Mingle2 app and you began communicating with her.

“You moved those conversations to WhatsApp and sent texts and voice messages of a sexual nature.

“You described sexual acts you wished to engage with her and said if anyone saw the messages they would say it was grooming and you should go to prison.”

At his first appearance at Bromley Magistrates’ Court Quinnell, of Lea Close, Reading pleaded guilty to attempting to meet the decoy 14 year-old girl after sexual grooming between December 1 and 20, 2023.

He also pleaded guilty to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child between the same dates, namely touching, kissing and oral sex.

Until his arrest Quinnell was living in Orpington with his wife and son and living off a £1,000 per month private pension.

He boasts in his online profile of having over twenty years experience in his field and planning workshops for his clients.

He claims to have Higher Diplomas in hypnotherapy; life coaching; psychotherapy; philosophy and consumer affairs from the School of Natural Health Sciences.

Prosecutor Martin Ingle told the court: “He looked into journey times and train times, confirming his intention to meet her and spoke about what they would do when they met.

“At first it would be kissing and holding hands, but by December 16 he was messaging her to lay across his chest as he touched her skin.

“On December 17 the most sexually explicit message was sent at 11.17pm concerning her touching the inside of his thighs and putting his ‘p----‘ in her mouth.

Quinnell messaged: ‘I will show you everything.’

“He said he would be gentle and loving and would not hurt her,” added the prosecutor.

The group confronted him on the doorstep of his former Orpington home and posted the footage on their facebook account.

The police were informed and found evidence on Quinnell’s phone of communicating with a 12 year-old female decoy and other unknown under sixteen years-olds.

“There were solicitations message, asking the decoy child to send pictures of herself.”

Quinnell’s lawyer James Kelly said: “He has had to wait over two years between his arrest and sentencing. He has had this hanging over him.

“He is in bad health and has a mental and physical disability caused by oxygen deprivation when he had a heart attack, aged fourteen, causing brain damage.

“He walks with a cane and has a history of heart attacks in 2016 and 2017 and retired in 2005 after nineteen years in the civil service on medical grounds. 

“He will continue to suffer. He is suffering family disruption, plus the shame and publicity he has been subjected to for his evil deeds.”

Judge Connell told Quinnell: “You said you were attracted to her and wanted to hug and kiss her, but later on that escalated and you talked about kissing her all over her body.”

In his probation report Quinnell refused to accept he has a sexual attraction to children, but suffered Executive Dysfunction - a brain syndrome that affects his ability to control emotions and impulses.

He wrote a letter to the judge, who announced: “You have expressed your horror and revulsion at these matters.

“The Probation Service are of the view you are a good prosecute for rehabilitation and I come to the conclusion, by the narrowest of margins, that I can suspend the prison sentence.”

Quinnell received twelve months imprisonment, suspended for two years and must complete 26 therapy sessions and 20 days of rehabilitation.

He was made subject to a ten-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order, must sign the sex offenders register for the same period and pay £150 costs.

Neighbour Guilty Of Harassment After Blocking Unlawful Demolition Of Next-Door's Mega Development Boundary Wall

Charged: Robin Christie

The neighbour of a City lawyer and his businesswoman wife has been convicted of harassment after continually spoiling their unlawful plans to create a vehicle entrance to their grand development via his quiet cul-de-sac.

Business consultant Robin Christie, 65, padlocked his bike to a makeshift gate to stop access, blocked the erection of fencing and said the wife: “ploughed on like an angry Zimbabwean land grabber.”

Solicitor Samuel Tempest Brooks, 43, and his company director wife Julia Stafford, 43, paid £850,000 for the Edwardian former water works within the Hampton Village Conservation Area, south-west London.

They secured council planning permission on appeal - despite Christie’s objections - for a huge subterranean development and two-storey extension at the unoccupied detached property, transforming it into a multi-million pound des res.

Fellow Housing Association residents of Hill House Drive also objected to the plans and the couple’s determination to demolish a boundary wall without council planning permission to create gated access through the residents’ close, costing parking spaces.

The residents were eventually victorious and works ground to a halt, with the development and the power couple’s marriage coming to an end and the property now back on the market for £999,950.

However, at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court last week a judge found Christie’s behaviour was “arrogant and intimidating,” and he was found guilty of harassing Julia between July 1 and September 28, 2024 and was bailed for probation reports.

Christie even summonsed the council leader of Richmond-upon-Thames, Gareth Roberts, to confirm the couple, particularly project manager Julia, were incorrect in trying to force through the gated access.

“The wall was in the conservation area and she had no permission to demolish this wall,” he told the two-day trial. “She believed it was implicit she could demolish the wall, but that was not the case.

“She was agitated and angry and would stress her opinion that she was correct. It would have been a breach of planning if she demolished the wall.”

The residents once even rushed to block the wall with their cars when a large digger truck and works crew, hired by the couple, arrived in their cul-de-sac to demolish it. 

Tempers boiled on July 5, 2024 when Julia began erecting security fencing on the residents’ side of the dividing brick wall, claiming her land extended into Hill House Drive.

She began digging up a border of plants with her tree surgeon when Christie and a female neighbour approached.

“They began objecting to me erecting fencing and they were also verbally abusive. They told me I didn’t have permission and that I was causing problems and being a nuisance,” Julia told the trial.

“Robin Christie was inciting it. He was the instigator behind it and representing himself as some sort of legal authority and that he knew what he was talking about. 

“He was falsely claiming that I didn’t own the land and had no right to erect the fencing and he followed me through a side gate onto the land I physically own.

Julia Stafford & Samuel Brooks

“There were a lot of people verbally abusing me and I escaped the situation and removed myself to have some breathing space.

“The fencing was to protect people from the construction site and prevent them walking into an unsafe area.

“He was in my face and refusing to leave. I felt very threatened, violated and exposed and I kept being accused of criminal damage.”

She complained Christie followed her onto her property and the court viewed footage she recorded shouting: “Get off my land!”

In her judgement Deputy District Judge Patricia Evans said of Christie: “He took exception to their planning permission and where she placed the fence.

“His behaviour was arrogant and intimidating when marching into her garden.”

Julia added: “I am in full panic mode by now. Being followed onto my land is very threatening to me.

“When I went back to the fence it had been taken down. I put it back up and they took it down again.”

After the couple returned from a Greek family holiday Julia again began erecting the fencing on July 22.

“Robin Christie kept getting in my way, between the wall and the fence. He wanted to make it look like I was putting him in physical danger so it could be videoed as if I was assaulting him.”

A section of fence fell crashing to the ground as neighbours gathered around recording the dispute.

“Robin Christie was pushing it down as much as he could and I could not hold on anymore and I recall him ramming the fence into my legs.

“When the police came I told them I had been hurt. I had a cut on my foot and hand and the next day my legs were covered in bruises.

Christie's home (top) & wall (bottom)

“I was shocked and disgusted that nobody came to help me and the police told me if I reinstated the fence they would arrest me for breach of the peace.”

Describing Christie’s behaviour during this incident, Judge Evans said “He can be seen pushing against the complainant and in the scuffle her hands and legs were hurt.

“Getting into a tussle over fencing Mr Christie was completely losing perspective and behaving in a high-handed manner.”

While the couple were in Greece with their young son and daughter Christie sent a letter to leading City firm McFarlanes, where Mr Brooks was a partner, complaining about his behaviour.

“It was intended as a threat to coerce me to do what he wanted,” the solicitor told the court. “It was absurd faux legalise.”

Christie made references to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) and Mr Brooks’ wife taking him down into “gutter-like behaviour.”

“It was intended to damage my career and cause the loss of all my income,” added Mr Brooks, now a partner at another City firm. “I thought it was hysterical nonsense.  

“The gist was that my actions at the site implicated me in criminal damage and wider poor behaviour that made me liable to SRA sanction in the defendant’s view. The contents were utter bilge.”

Judge Evans ruled: “There is nothing conciliatory in the letter. The tone is unpleasant and it also increased Ms Stafford’s anxiety and she said in evidence she felt she was suffering PTSD.”

Julia once told husband Samuel to bring their title deeds to the site to convince the residents and police, but Christie disputed their accuracy, the court heard.

“The police were happy and in agreement, but Robin Christie kept insisting the title deeds were not exact to confuse the officers and convince the residents he was right,” said the Imperial College environmental technology graduate.

Julia also put together a makeshift gate out of two fence panels and padlocked it, but Christie then attached his bike, plus locks of his own to prevent her getting through.

This prompted tit-for-tat reprisals with Julia securing Christie’s bike to the fence with her own lock, culminating in her using a metal cutter and borrowed axle grinder to cut out the whole section.

“His bike with four locks attached to the fence barricaded me out of the property. It prevented me from opening it and accessing the side path to my house.

“Everyday I was verbally abused and it was like living in a cage. I was accosted by Robin Christie and two women telling me if I removed the locks it was criminal damage.

“I realised I had a cage built around me and that was the most traumatic day.

“I burst into tears and called the police. I did not know what to do and it was the most dehumanising experience to be in a cage treated like an animal.

“I’m pretty sure I had a panic attack. This was supposed to be a safe family home, but I was under constant threat from Robin Christie.”

She received a fixed penalty fine from the Met Police for cutting through one of Christie’s wire bike locks.

“Placing the bike and multiple locks is an act of harassment. Putting a lock on someone’s property and then watching them so he and the community can get their own way,” said Judge Evans.

“He was so busy championing the cause of the neighbours he lost perspective and pursued with increasing determination.”

Julia added: “I developed PTSD and became hyper-vigilant. I had insomnia and was terrified of arrest and hated all cameras and photos and became very secluded from friends and family.

“The fact I couldn’t have a safe family home made me ashamed that I couldn’t protect my family from another man trying to control.

“My son watched his mother be attacked and threatened with arrest, my daughter was afraid and the family dog was terrified. Myself and my husband struggled to find a way to get people to help us.

“He (Christie) is obsessed with me and the harassment started years before. He objected to our planning application and was fixated on me and the property.”

Christie told the trial: “I grew into becoming the spokesperson for the residents. I was the calmest head and sought to seek solutions and had no personal issue with Ms Stafford.

“This was a community trying to overcome an issue with someone difficult to deal with.

“Ms Stafford was hacking away at the plants quite aggressively and was quite rude and abusive to people standing there, accusing them of bad things.

“The residents had looked after that area and paid for its maintenance, but Ms Stafford was in an aggressive mood and did not want to hear sense.

“She was walking up and down muttering something like ‘little stupid people’ and the fence was later moved during a storm because it was dangerous.

“The letter I sent to her husband was not threatening. I was asking him to be accountable as a solicitor and human being because we had to come to some solution.

“They had grabbed land and taken possession of land.

“I did not push the fence into her, I was trying to stabilise it and she banged the fence into me. The police then picked up the fence and threw it back over her wall.

“She came back an hour later and reinstated the side gate, which she called a cage when giving evidence. She’s put the fence on land she does not own.

“I put a padlock around it and put a bike on the gate and locked it. I wanted to neutralise the gate,” Christie explained. “There was no harassment, there was no reason to put this fence up on our side of the boundary wall.

“The fence was eight feet into our land. This was a trespass.”

First-time offender Christie will be sentenced next month.