'Sickie' NHS Nurse Jailed For £32K Fraud

An NHS Neurology nurse, who pocketed £32,000 in sick pay while moonlighting via two recruiting agencies, has been jailed for 16 months.

Vivian Coker, 53, of Samuel Lewis Trust Estate, Warner Road, Camberwell claimed to her bosses she was unfit to work for nearly two years.

She was employed at Tooting's St. George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, but took sick leave between August 2014 and May 2016.

Coker was convicted of two counts of fraud by false representation at Kingston-upon-Thames Crown Court.

Afterwards, Richard Hampton the Head of Intelligence and Fraud Prevention said: “The nursing community is a vital ally in the fight against NHS fraud.

“If you spot something that doesn't seem quite right and could be a fraud, please do report it to our reporting line.

“We believe working whilst sick fraud is still under-reported and it is in all our interests that the perpetrators are identified and prosecuted.

“We recognise that the vast majority of NHS nurses are honest, dedicated and hardworking.”

Algerian Illegal With Fake ID Jailed For Nightbus Sex Assault On Young Woman

An Algerian illegal overstayer, who assumed a new identity, has been locked-up for pursuing a lone young woman on a night bus and forcibly kissing her.

Youva Boudaoud, 30, used graphic sexually-explicit language towards the 21 year-old, who was forced to change seats, but was followed by the defendant.

French-speaking kitchen porter Boudaoud, of Balham High Street, Balham used a bogus Belgian identity card to remain in the UK and illegally work at a local restaurant.

He pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting the woman on the N155 bus at approximately 4.15am on November 19, last year.

Boudaoud, who needed an interpreter, also pleaded guilty to possessing the false id card between January 1 and April 24 with intent.

He also admitted fraud by false representation between the same dates, namely using the id card to obtain employment and possessing £3,000 in criminal property, namely his wages on April 25.

Detectives from the Metropolitan Police’s Roads and Transport Policing Command released images of Boudaoud from the bus’s CCTV on February 21.

He was identified to the police by his female boss, who had read the victim was left “very shaken”, and was arrested at his home address on April 24.

Judge Judith Coello told Boudaoud at Kingston-upon-Thames Crown Court yesterday: “This was a particularly unpleasant and nasty offence.

“You can accurately be described as a sex pest. You deliberately targeted this young woman on that bus and it must have been extremely frightening for her.

“You sat next to her and engaged in foul and disgusting language and first kissed her on the cheek and then on the lips.

‘This was disgusting, boorish, unacceptable behaviour. She had no escape and she was a lone female.”

Regarding the identity fraud the judge told him: “It was deliberate and calculated on your part.”

Boudaoud was sentenced to seventeen weeks imprisonment for the sexual assault, plus another twenty weeks to run consecutively for the identity fraud offences.

He will have to sign the sex offenders register for seven years.

Because the total sentence of thirty-seven weeks was below one year Boudaoud will avoid the automatic trigger for deportation to his native Algeria.

Notting Hill Carnival Charity Finance Boss Gets 6 Years For Swindling £784K

Exposed: Nadia Chase Ali

The trusted financial officer of a community charity that runs the Notting Hill Carnival and assists Grenfell survivors was jailed for six years today for swindling over three quarters of a million pounds.

Nadia Chase Ali, 34, holidayed with her boss while defrauding The Carnival Village Trust for two years, transferring sums to her four bank accounts on 530 occasions.

Approximately £30,000 ended up in her native Trinidad and Tobago and the mum-of-one has failed to offer a penny in compensation.

Chase Ali, of Bonchurch Road, North Kensington, who has shown no remorse, has left the charity financially crippled and owing thousands to the taxman.

She worked at The Tabernacle W11, a Grade II listed building in Powis Square, Notting Hill, which was also financed by the trust and provides multiple community services.

She pleaded guilty at Isleworth Crown Court to fraud by abuse of position between March 6, 2014 and December 2, 2016 to dishonestly make a gain of £784,262.56p.  

She also pleaded guilty to money laundering, namely transferring £30,000 in criminal property out of the UK and a jury convicted her of stealing financial documents and letters belong in to The Carnival Village Trust.

“This is a very serious crime, it is an attack on the community,” said Judge John Dennis. “None of that money has been recovered and has either been sent to the Caribbean or spent on personal items.”

Some of the money was spent by Chase Ali at retail shops in Trinidad and Tobago, plus Next and Argos and flights and beauty treatments.

“This defendant has used the funds of this charity as her private bank account,” said prosecutor Mr. Tyrone Silcott. “During the trial her behaviour was described as a breathtaking breach of trust. It was a betrayal.

‘She gave evidence in the face of overwhelming evidence and still does not accept responsibility for stealing the paperwork. She has shown absolutely no remorse for what she has done.

No Hiding Place: Ali Was Jailed

The trust is mainly funded by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the Arts Council.

“It is a significant part of the local community, a cultural hub,” added Mr. Silcott.

The Tabernacle’s director Matthew Philip says the charity provided services for local youths, the elderly and for those with addiction problems.

“This is a charity that has supported local people effected by the Grenfell fire. I feel betrayed by Nadia’s actions.”

Judge Dennis told an emotionless Chase Ali, dressed in a grey tracksuit: “What aggravates this case enormously is the damage you have done to the Tabernacle.

“I have heard with great sadness the effect which your gross dishonesty has had on that institution.

“It is the hub of community life in North Kensington, providing facilities to an enormous amount of people who need assistance.

“It may now be closed, owing large sums of money to the Inland Revenue and in VAT.

‘It was publicly-funded with money being poured in from the council and other bodies, money that you syphoned off.

“If the Tabernacle goes it will leave a gaping hole in North Kensington.

“You betrayed the trust that was placed in you by your employer, who was a friend that went on holiday with you. You cynically betrayed that trust.

“There is virtually no remorse expressed by you at all for this prolonged fraud of two years as you filleted this organisation.”

Her lawyer Exdol Mitchell told the court: “She is fearful of a custodial sentence for the impact it will have on her loved ones.

“She is not a wicked woman. It was by chance she came across how easy it was to commit these frauds.”

Chase Ali claims the money financed her late mother’s medical bills and care needed for her sickly father in Trinidad and Tobago, but the prosecution found no more than £20,000 was spent this way.

IT Expert Admits £62K 'Fraud' That Never Was

An IT expert had to admit a £62,160 fraud on world famous Moorfields eye hospital when a review revealed he invoiced for work in the name of an employee who had not carried it out.

However, Perry John Kennings, 45, of Wateringbury Road, East Malling, Kent, insists he completed the work himself and he was forced into the technical fraud due to the hospital's payment system.

A judge at Inner London Crown Court agreed and went outside the usual sentencing guidelines and conditionally discharged the married father-of-two for two years.

Jennings pleaded guilty to fraud against Moorfields NHS Trust between March 1 and October 31, 2015 by dishonestly abusing his position of technical delivery manager by submitting false invoices.

Prosecutor Mr. Alexander Agbamu told the court Jennings' company provided specialist IT services as an outside contractor and he was assisted by his employee Steve Gibson.

“He carried on submitting invoices to Moorfields, making it seem Steve Gibson was continuing to provide work, but he was not.

“A review of the invoices revealed the beneficiary was this defendant rather than Mr. Gibson. He claimed he was not trying to deceive the Trust and that the invoices would not have been paid if a name was not on the invoice.”

Jennings' QC William Boyce told the court: “He is skilled at IT. He is a high performer and never stops work and he was doing two jobs.

“Thinking Mr. Gibson was coming in he put his name on the invoices and continued doing the work. There is no loser, he's already performed seven to eight months unpaid work for the NHS Trust.

“He left that job, in his words to the police: 'A broken man' because he worked so hard for so long.”

Jennings says that not only was the work completed in the name of Mr. Gibson he has paid back full compensation to the Trust.

“The thought of him being separated from his wife and sons, aged nine and ten, has cut through this family like a visceral sword.

“It has been a complete disaster and every day has been agony for him.”

Judge Owen Davies QC told Jennings: 'I'm not going to send you to prison. You did do the work and the fraud is technical in nature.

“The identity was one you were not entitled to assume.

“You have never been in trouble before and it is very clear you are very talented in IT and well-regarded as someone who has made a great contribution to the lives of others.

“This case is so extraordinary.

“I'm sure the court will not see you again and that draws a line under the matter.”  

Boozy Rolls Royce Union Rep Denies Groping Hotel Woman

A Rolls-Royce union rep climbed into bed with a drunken married woman at a hotel conference and fondled her between her legs, a court heard yesterday.

Toolmaker Jon Brough, 46, who consumed ten pints during the evening, told police the woman had been flirting with him and sitting on his lap before they retired to her room at midnight.

Brough, of Winterley Drive, Accrington, Lancashire, who works at the company’s Barnoldswick site has pleaded not guilty at Inner London Crown Court to assault by penetration at Surrey’s Esher Place Hotel on October 4, 2016.

Prosecutor Catherine Patterson told the jury Rolls Royce funded a free open bar for an hour before the Unite Union dinner and the woman, 46, consumed more alcohol at a local pub, after which she remembers nothing until the next morning.

“She remembers waking up in the morning with her jeans unzipped, her bra unclipped and this defendant laying next to her.

“She sent a text reading ‘help’ to a colleague after realising that something had happened.

“She was shocked at seeing this defendant there and said: ‘You need to f*** off.’

“He replied: ‘You’ve sobered up’ and dressed and left the room.”

Hours earlier Brough and a colleague had escorted her to the room, with the other man recalling the defendant saying: “C’mon. This party hasn’t finished yet.”

Ms. Patterson explained: “She consumed a considerable quantity of alcohol. She was so intoxicated she did not have the ability to consent to any sexual activity.

“Mr. Brough could see she was in a state of intoxication and decided to take advantage.”

After returning home the complainant reported him to the police two weeks later and Brough was questioned in Manchester on December 20, 2016.

“He admitted putting his finger into her vagina, but said she had consented to doing that.

“He said she was very drunk, siting on people’s laps, including his. He had seen her fall off a chair and saw her laughing and giggling and thought they would go back to her room for sex.”

Brough told the officers: “There was sexual activity. Mutual kissing and passionate touching.”

Ms Patterson added: “He also told police he had tried to pull her knickers and trousers down, but she would not allow it and in the morning seemed angry with herself.”

A colleague of the complainant described her as having “slurred speech,” “staggering about” and “looking very drunk.”

Another saw her chatting with Brough in a corridor. “He says she appeared to be leaning on him and another witness says they were in reception with their arms around each other.”

The next morning a concerned colleague confronted Brough. “He shrugged his shoulders and said it was just some drunken flirting and she wouldn’t need the pill.”

In a police video interview played to the jury the woman said she recalled drinking three pints of cider, a glass of wine and a vodka and coke that night.

“I got very drunk, very quickly,” she told the trial, recalling at one point she spilled alcohol over herself.

“I remember waking up and I was still in clothes. My jeans were unzipped and my bra unclipped.

“I don’t know how he got there. I was shocked to see him there and said: ‘F*** off.’

“I don’t know what happened, I panicked, I was stressed and felt really ashamed of myself. I’m married.

“I think there was blood on the sheet and that concerned me. I thought: ‘what’s happened here?’

“Later I read a news report about ‘too drunk to consent’ and I thought: ‘Hello. That’s what happen to me. It’s not my fault.’

“Something’s happened and it’s not my fault. I don’t even remember talking to him, that’s why I’m shocked he got there.”

Trial continues…………..

Greenwich's Public Astronomer Admits Gay Child Porn Charges

Greenwich Observatory’s Public Astronomer, who wrote a book on the science behind tv’s Dr. Who, today admitted downloading 407 sick sexual images of boys.

Dr. Marek Kukula, 49, who has also worked for NASA and has a PhD in radio astronomy, appeared at Inner London Crown Court. 

Police raided his £780,000 flat in Millennium Square, Tower Bridge, seizing 18 devices and finding the disgusting movie clips and still images on an old laptop and two USB sticks.

Dr. Kukula is the observatory’s official spokesman on astronomy and space science, having held senior research positions at UK universities and at NASA’s Space Telescope Science Institute.

He pleaded guilty to making 34 Category A indecent images of a child; 107 Category B and 266 Category C indecent images on or before October 5, last year.

“There will have to be a pre-sentence report,” announced Judge Nigel Seed QC. 

Kukula’s lawyer told the court police seized an old silver laptop computer, on which the astronomer had downloaded the images nine years ago.

All the files had been subsequently deleted.

Kukula was bailed until July 24 and the judge told him: “You have pleaded guilty to these matters.

“These are serious matters and all sentencing options are open. 

“You are of good character, but that’s no guarantee you won’t receive a sentence of imprisonment.”

At the Royal Observatory Greenwich he oversees science content and exhibitions and public programmes and is a spokesperson for the landmark institution.

He is also the author of ‘The Intimate Universe’ and while a project manager and researcher in residence at the University of Edinburgh he managed a national scheme to train young researchers and match them with secondary schools.

He also has a degree in Physics with Astrophysics.

Ticket Trick Backfires For Illegal Parker

An NHS administrator went to extreme lengths to avoid four parking tickets by doctoring a genuine RAC breakdown invoice to cover dates she was caught.

Her deceit was exposed by suspicious council enforcement officers, who noticed her vehicle’s milage never changed despite being ticketed over a period of six weeks.

Sharon Senyange, 27, repeated the same trick three times after it worked initially, when Lambeth council cancelled her first £130 ticket after incorrectly accepting she had genuinely broken down. 

The King’s College Hospital employee, of Chandler Way, Peckham pleaded guilty to eleven counts of fraud by false representation between February 27 and April 19, last year.

At Camberwell Green Magistrates Court she was ordered to complete 200 hours community service work and pay £746 costs to the council and an £85 victim surcharge.

Her white two-litre BMW was repeatedly ticketed in South Island Place and Patmos Road, Kennington, said prosecutor Mr. Jonathan Melnick.

“She appealed her first ticket, explaining that she had broken down and she had left a note in the windscreen.

“She attached an RAC invoice and as a result the Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) was cancelled.

“Three further PCN’s were issued and appealed using a similar RAC breakdown invoice with the job number and dates changed, but with the milage staying the same.”    

The council refused to cancel the next three appeals and contacted the RAC. “She did have a genuine call-out at one point and has taken advantage of that.

“These are quite serious offences,” added Mr. Melnick. “There is a degree of sophistication.

“They were changed to tailor the PCN and someone looking at them may have been taken in and they were on the first occasion.

“It was motivated by personal gain to get out of these PCN’s of £130.”

Senyange told the court: “It was stupid of me and since then I have changed. I was being influenced by others.

"I’m working for the NHS now and I understand the ramifications of my actions.”

Heathrow Exec Crashes Merc On Morning Commute While Over Methamphetamine Limit

A senior sales executive with Heathrow Express lost his job after crashing his Mercedes on his morning commute while three times the methamphetamine limit.

Australian-born Tate Williams Crawford, 37, a graduate of Queensland’s Griffith University is now sweating on a Home Office decision to allow him to live and work in the UK.

The commercial sales expert, of Crampton Street, Walworth pleaded guilty to driving the silver 2.1 litre vehicle with 30 micrograms of the drug per litre of blood on January 22.

Prosecutor Kate Seal told Camberwell Green Magistrates Court it was 8.35am when police were called to a collision involving Williams Crawford in Harleyford Road, Kennington.

“The officers conducted a preliminary impairment test test at the roadside, which he failed.”

At Brixton Police Station a blood sample was taken, which proved he was under the influence of the drug.

Williams Crawford’s UK residency is via his marriage to a British citizen and the Home Office are awaiting the outcome of the case before granting him another two years.

“I lost my job because of the incident. I was driving to work,” he told the court.

“The Home Office wrote to me and said they could not approve me until the outcome of the case.

“I have joined a couple of NHS community counselling organisations. It has been very stressful, something I don’t want to face again, I want to keep a clean record.

“Because of the Home Office I am not allowed to work at the moment and we have had to take out a couple of credit cards to help the shortfall.

“I drove, I tested positive, yes. I did not realise how long I’d have to wait, I do apologise, I’m remorseful.

“Will it effect my employment possibilities? Yes probably.

“I’m thankful I did not cause harm to myself or to other people.”

He was fined £120, with £85 costs, ordered to pay a £30 victim surcharge and was disqualified from driving for twelve months.

Skunk Dealer Jailed For 10 Years After Police Guns Raid

A skunk cannabis dealer caught by gang-busting cops with four handguns and a fake firearm is starting a ten-year prison sentence.

Kaziem Ofondo, 32, was also caught with 60 rounds of live ammunition when Operation Trident officers, who investigate black-on-black crime, raided his south-east London home.

A search warrant was executed at the address in Halesworth Road, Lewisham on April 28, last year.

Police found five kilos of the drug, plus £9,790 cash in one of the bedrooms.

Ofondo pleaded guilty to five charges of possessing a prohibited firearm, four charges of possessing associated ammunition and one count of possessing cannabis with intent to supply.

In a locked shed, officers discovered the four handguns and an imitation firearm with dozens of cartridges and a silencer.

Woolwich Crown Court heard Ofondo was arrested and interviewed, stating ‘no comment’ to all questions.

Detective Constable Darren Eyers, said: “Ofondo was caught with an arsenal of lethal weapons that posed a potentially fatal risk to members of the public.

“Trident officers are working around the clock to arrest those involved in gun crime and seize the illegal firearms that only bring violence and misery to the streets of London.

“Anyone caught in possession of a prohibited weapon can expect to be arrested and subjected to a lengthy jail sentence.”

Cashpoint Robbers Snatch £200: CCTV Released

Police hunting a pair of cashpoint robbers, who snatched £200 from a young woman, have released these CCTV images of their suspects.

At approximately 2.00pm on Sunday, December 17, last year, the victim - a 27 year-old woman - used an ATM cash-point in Victory Parade, Woolwich.

As £200 in cash was dispensed from the machine, two males pushed past her and stole the cash before making off on foot towards Plumstead.

The first suspect is described as a black male, wearing a green hooded coat and blue jeans.

The second male was also black, wearing dark clothing.

Detective Constable Mark Day of Greenwich CID said: "We take robbery offences such as this extremely seriously, and I would urge anyone who recognises either of the suspects to call police.

“Both are wanted for questioning in relation to this incident.

"I would also like to remind the public to be aware of who is around them when they use cash machines.

"In addition, people are advised to shield their PIN and to avoid any ATM that seems to have been tampered with.

"If you see anything suspicious, please call police."

Anyone who recognises the suspects, or has information that may assist police, should call detectives at Greenwich CID on 101.

To remain anonymous, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Pickpocket Targeted Lone Female Nightbus Passenger He Also Molested

Police are hunting this suspect after a woman was sexually assaulted and pickpocketed after stepping off a night bus in the early hours of the morning.

The woman had just travelled on a N73 to Walthamstow bus station on March 11 and was approached between 3.00am and 4.00am by a male.

He began walking with her and she pushed him away when he molested her.

The suspect ran off and the woman realised her mobile phone and bank card was missing.

Shortly afterwards the card was used to withdraw cash from an ATM in the area.

The suspect is described as a white man, approximately 5ft 8ins tall, of slim build, in his mid to late twenties.

He was wearing a grey hooded jumper, a black jacket and a baseball cap.

He was carrying a small ‘man bag’ and wore distinctive trainers with reflectors on the toecaps.

Anyone who recognises the man in the image or has information they believe could be of significance is asked to contact officers at the Child Abuse and Sexual Offence Command on 020 8733 5999, or via 101 quoting reference 1397/11Mar.

To remain anonymous call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Jail Warning For Bogus-Funeral Fraudster

A liar told his new boyfriend he needed cash to bury his recently-deceased daughter and tried to extract more money with a false rape-claim.

Jobless Steven Dudley, 47, was warned yesterday to expect to be locked-up for the crimes when he returns to court for sentencing.

He pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation, namely that between September 5 and October 11, 2016 he dishonestly, with intent to gain £1,350, represented he needed to pay for his daughter’s funeral.

Dudley, of Park Parade, Harlesden, north-west London also pleaded guilty to blackmail, namely making an unwarranted demand with menaces for £3,000 on October 5, 2016.

The prosecutor told Inner London Crown Court: “Mr. Dudley, who met the complainant on a website entered into a relationship to get money out of him.

‘He lied that his daughter had died and threatened to report to the police that the complainant had raped him to get three thousand pounds.”

The court heard Dudley has been diagnosed with Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder and acts impulsively without regard for the consequences.

Judge Michael Wood QC agreed to bail Dudley until July 18 for a pre-sentence report, announcing: “He is entitled to substantial credit for pleading guilty, but it is very serious and a community sentence is not appropriate.

“He is a person with a number of offences for fraud in the past and this is a serious one with the element of blackmail.

“I cannot see that a non-custodial sentence is appropriate here.”

Violent Watch Robber Wanted For Nicking £10K Breitling

Police are hunting this suspected violent robber, who punched a sales assistant in the face and ran off with a £10,000 Breitling watch.

On Saturday, January 6 the suspect entered a stockist of the luxury watch company in Westfield Shopping Centre, Stratford, east London.

He asked to try on the Breitling Super Avenger II, valued at over £10,000.

The suspect then assaulted the sales assistant by punching him in the face and fled the store taking the watch with him.

Detectives would like to hear from anyone who can name the male shown in this CCTV still, which were captured inside the shopping centre before the offence was committed.

The sales assistant, also male, did not suffer any lasting injuries.

Anyone who can name this person should call Flying Squad Detectives by dialling 101, quoting reference CAD5149/6Jan18 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Fake Taxi Driver Jailed For Double Rape Of Boozy Passenger

A fake taxi driver, who dragged his female passenger into a second-floor flat and raped her after a boozy night out, has been locked-up for a minimum of nine years.

Keith Gillings, 67, of Hanway Road, Hanwell was sentenced to life imprisonment for the offence and must serve that time until he can be considered for parole.

The court heard how on July 25, last year the victim, a 47-year-old woman was drinking with friends in Hammersmith.

At approximately 11.00pm, she left the pub and got into a vehicle she believed was her taxi.

The driver was Gillings, who took the victim to her home address, where she collected money and requested he take her to a local shop to get some tobacco.

Sometime later she realised Gillings was not going in the correct direction and when questioned he advised her that he knew a different shop that would still be open.

As the car approached traffic lights and slowed down the victim attempted to escape the vehicle, but it was locked.

Gillings grabbed her wrists and prevented her from getting out.

He took her to a block where he dragged the victim into a flat and raped her, twice.

After the attack the victim managed to escape from the flat and ran away.

Gillings gave chase, but could not catch her.

Detective Sergeant Trevor Struthes, from the Metropolitan Police's Child Abuse and Sexual Offences unit (CASO), said: "Officers carried out a thorough and in-depth investigation which brought a violent and depraved man to justice.

“They worked tirelessly to support the victim through this ordeal and got her the best possible result when they arrested and charged Gillings.

"He will be spending nearly the remainder of his life behind bars, where he will not be able to attack and harm any other women again."

Carer Punched OAP, 82, In Face

A care worker at an OAP home punched a dementia-suffering resident in the face, inflicting a bleeding cut to his cheek.

Velma Lahai, 23, was employed at The Pines Care Home, West Hill, Putney, where a colleague witnessed her landing the early-morning blow on the vulnerable resident, who is also bipolar.

She was convicted of ill-treating the resident during an early-morning wake-up on December 18, last year.

Lahai of Sprewell House, Lytton Grove, Putney was sentenced to six weeks imprisonment, suspended for twelve months and ordered to complete 200 hours community service work.

She must also comply with a rehabilitation activity requirement of up to twenty days and pay £200 compensation to the victim and £100 costs.

Wimbledon Magistrates Court heard resident Jeremy Kemp, 82, is unable to look after himself and needs help changing his clothing and cleaning himself.

When Lahai and a colleague entered his room at 6am they found he was covered in his own urine.

The defendant was heard asking him: “Why did you kick me in the eye?” and punched him in the face.

Mr. Kemp immediately put his hands up to his face and blood started pouring from a wound to his cheek, which healed after two days.

He did not require hospital treatment and was cared for on site, with the wound being cleaned and dressed.

Lahai complained Mr. Kemp flicked faeces and urine into her eye and said the injury was nothing more than a 1.5cm scratch to the cheek, which quickly healed.

The victim was described in court as “extremely vulnerable” and was not able to give an account to the police or attend the trial.

Prize-Winning Gardener Cleared Of Damaging Neighbour's Lawn But Sentenced For Harassment Campaign

Gardeners At War: Oram

A pensioner has been banned from his communal rear gardens after a harassment campaign against his neighbour, who claims he was jealous of her collecting their leafy borough’s ‘In Bloom’ prize.

Retired employment agency boss Michael Oram, 73, can now only enjoy his plants and flowers from his living-room window or by peering over the garden wall.

The private Winchester College-educated Kew Gardens volunteer found himself in the dock at Wimbledon Magistrates Court charged with causing criminal damage to ‘grass’ belonging to his downstairs neighbour.

Twice-married granddad Oram, of The Barons, Twickenham was cleared after magistrates ruled basement neighbour Jasmine McMurdo, 55, exaggerated the alleged destruction on September 27, last year.

However Oram, whose King’s Road, Chelsea agency supplied domestic staff to the aristocracy and the rich and famous, was convicted of causing her harassment between January 19 and July 31, last year.

He was sentenced to six weeks imprisonment, suspended for a year and was made subject to a two-year Criminal Behaviour Order, which bans him from the rear gardens.

He must also pay £500 compensation to Ms McMurdo, plus £998 for damaging her floor, which he was convicted of deliberately flooding and £500 costs.

Ms McMurdo collected the silver prize from the mayor of Richmond-upon-Thames for their ‘Borough in Bloom’ competition last year, Oram having also received silver for the property’s front garden.

Neighbour: Jasmine McMurdo

“You did that out of spite didn’t you?” prosecutor Ms Roz Wardell asked Oram. “You deliberately pulled up her plants. You have a vendetta against Ms McMurdo don’t you?”

Oram was filmed on a security camera pulling at the lawn behind Ms McMurdo’s flat. “The CCTV shows and elderly man removing dead foliage and weeds,” he told the court.

“When I moved in it was a jungle of brambles, an utter mess. I’ve been tending this garden since 2006 when it was an utter wreck.

“Through blood, sweat and tears and my own cost and energy I have brought it back to the garden we have today.”

Oram says he was forced to move into his flat after losing his £3m Richmond Hill home in a divorce many years ago after having an affair with he and his wife’s attractive Peruvian au pair.

“Richmond prides itself on its green-fingered inhabitants and its parks and is one of the best areas to live in London.

“I was sad that I did not have the chance to collect the prize from the mayor.

“Ms McMurdo collected it and has been claiming it was a prize she gained, which I dispute. She’s not won an award for gardening, can you produce a certificate with her name on it?

“Ms McMurdo doesn’t know anything about plants whatsoever. In fact they were planted by a previous tenant who cared for that garden.

Prize-Winner: Oram Outside Court

“These gardens are kept by me. I spend all my disposable income on it. I do love the gardens.  

“This year I’m hoping to win the gold medal.

“I was removing plants that were past their prime and plants that were growing over the communal pathway. 

‘I was weeding the lawn, taking out dandelions and moss that are destructive to the lawn.

“This has been completely twisted. Everything is twisted against me.

“This case has been brought to damage and discredit me. Ms McMurdo is paranoid and has left signs for me next to plants on sticks.

“She also left me a note saying saying that she did not like to see me reclining in my bathing costume in the Summer.

“It is insulting for a man of my age and my high-birth and high-education compared to some people in this case who can’t even spell properly.

“I’m up against people who hate me,” added Oram, claiming his car and garden rockery has been vandalised.

“I’ve put up with hell and high water from this woman. It’s a vendetta.”

He denied deliberately drilling holes in his bathroom floor to flood Ms McMurdo. “There were faults with my washing machine.”

Even though still subject to a restraining order after a previous harassment conviction against the neighbour Oram insisted: “She issued death threats to me with a broken bottle to cut my neck.”

Clearing Oram of criminal damage magistrate Mr. David Martin announced: “Ms McMurdo said he tore up clumps of Umbrella Bamboo and Lavender, but we do not see that on the CCTV.”

When making the ‘Crimbo’ order against Oram the pensioner told the magistrate: “They are trying to extinguish the basic right of an Englishman to be in his garden.”

Ban: Oram Cannot Set Foot In Garden

Ms McMurdo said: “I have suffered harassment over the years. Mr. Oram has targeted me to drive me out and I have often been in tears.

“He has tried to make my flat uninhabitable and had now turned to vandalising my vegetables and flowers.”

She said Oram sent her a text warning: “If we don’t find peace the future is going to be very grim for you and your son.”

The NHS employee added: “I’ve been torn in two. I feel so unsafe with Mr. Oram living above me.

“I feel on edge all the time. I have a feeling of dread in my chest. I never know what I’m going to walk into.

“I just wait for something to happen. I have no enjoyment at being at home anymore.”