Roehampton Man Evicted From Council Flat
Following his involvement in the 2011 summer riots.
37-year-old
Jonathan Mason was formally evicted from the flat in Fontley Way exactly two years to the day after he took part in the looting of the Lavender Hill branch of the HSBC bank.
He was ordered to leave the property by a county court judge following a lengthy legal process that was set in motion by the council almost a year ago after he was convicted of taking part in the rioting and looting that struck Clapham Junction.
Mr Mason was convicted of burglary and jailed for three years at the Inner London Crown Court on September 12, 2012.
As soon as the housing department was notified of his conviction it began legal proceedings to recover the property on the grounds that Mr Mason had breached his tenancy conditions.
The council policy is that when a tenant is given the keys to a council property in Wandsworth they must sign a binding agreement that neither they nor any of their household members will engage in criminal or anti-social behaviour anywhere in the borough, or commit any acts that that cause fear, harassment or nuisance to other people living in the area. Failure to abide by this tenancy agreement renders them liable to eviction.
In parallel, the council’s finance department was also seeking Mr Mason’s removal from the property as a result of his rent arrears, which now stand at £5,695. The judge ordered Mr Mason to pay these off without delay.
Mr Mason opposed the council’s case and had his own full legal representation. However the arguments put forward by his lawyers were rejected by the judge, who granted the eviction order at a hearing at the Wandsworth County Court on July 12. This gave him a maximum of 28 days to either mount an appeal or vacate the property.
The borough’s housing spokesman Cllr Paul Ellis (pictured left) said:
“Mr Mason’s decision to involve himself in the shocking scenes of violence, looting and disorder that struck Clapham Junction in August 2011, coupled with his wilful refusal to pay his rent, has resulted in him losing his council flat.
“As a consequence, it is extremely unlikely he will be offered taxpayer subsidised social housing by any other council or housing association. He will have to stand on his own two feet and arrange his own accommodation from now on. This is the price he must pay for his actions that night.
“The date of today’s eviction is nothing more than pure coincidence, but it does serve as a timely reminder that here in this borough we make no apology whatsoever for taking a tough stance with those who choose to engage in serious criminality. We have no room on our estates for looters, rioters and those who refuse to pay their rent.”
August 8, 2013