Buy to let guru Fergus Wilson is to appeal against his conviction for hitting an agent during a visit to his office.
Wilson, 65, was last week ordered to pay £150 compensation to Daniel Wells, 31, an agent in the Folkestone office of PLS (Property Lettings and Sales). Wilson was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge and a fine.
Now he has told his local paper, the Folkestone Herald, that he will be appealing against the conviction.
Former school teacher and boxer Wilson, of Boughton Monchelsea near Maidstone, admitted calling Mr Wells a little shit but denied hitting him, and says the agent accidentally fell off his swivel chair.
"I didn't bundle him out of his chair at all. I went round, probably quite quickly, and he fell out of his chair. He grabbed at my arm. I didn't object because I went forward so he could grab it. I then helped him up. I've fallen out of swivel chairs in that office twice Wilson told Folkestone Magistrates Court at the end of last week.
"If I had intended doing him an injury I probably would have kicked him a few times while he was on the floor and I don't think he's suggesting I did said Wilson, who represented himself in court.
Wilson told the court the story of the attack had been concocted as revenge for moving business from the firm.
Fergus Wilson and his wife Judith were nicknamed Britain's most controversial landlords by the press last year after announcing that they wanted to evict tenants on benefits, and instead replace them with east European migrants.
The couple are reported to have a property portfolio worth up to £200m, mostly achieved through shrewd buy-to-let investments. Some 280 of those properties were managed by PLS until late in 2012 and during 2013, when the professional relationship ended.
Comments
Why are they considered "controversial Landlords" for evicting their benefit Tenants The agent I worked for for 20 years did just that about 8 years ago when LHA was being whispered about. Best thing they ever did. They went from 65% benefit tenants to 8% today. They also doubled the size of their managed portfolio (to almost 1,000) in a period of 8 years with only a 20% increase in staff levels (due to easier managed tenancies and less work), reduced evictions (and the shit these people leave behind at the end of a tenancy) to virtually nil and get more recommendations from Landlords than any other source of business. Sadly their house-clearance maintenance man went out of business due to losing at least one full house clearance a week and one of their decorators also folded because he was no longer needed to completely re-decorate houses which had been smoked in 24/7 by these people at the end of their tenancies. All true - I jest you not.
Sorry that should be shit not shot!
What a bully! As an agent myself I know that every area has a large landlord who flaunts the law and allows his ego to get himself into trouble. I can only imagine what kind of shot the poor agency has had to put up with whilst acting for him!