Monday 28 November 2022 09:41 AM Pensioner being sued by neighbours says they should build wall if they are ... trends now
A pensioner being sued by his millionaire neighbours over claims he torched their garden fence has told a judge they should just build a brick wall if they are worried about fire.
David Baker, 80, claims property magnate Mark Randolph Dyer and his wife, Clare, are using their millions to intimidate him and 'get their pound of flesh' in court.
The wealthy couple say they've been harassed and pestered by their elderly neighbour since moving into their £2.6m house in Surrey 25 years ago.
Their home, in Albury, near Guildford, boasts a swimming pool and tennis court and at one point its own helipad.
The couple accused Mr Baker of being behind malicious letters and phone calls, pouring abuse on their guests arriving by helicopter, and even poisoning trees on their land.
The final straw came in June 2021 when Mr Baker set fire to the couple's fence, they say, although the pensioner steadfastly denies all the claims.
Property tycoon Mark Randolph Dyer, pictured left outside London's High Court, and wife Clare (not pictured) are suing their neighbour David Baker
David Baker outside Guildford County Court. Mr Baker's barrister, Lina Mattsson, told the court that he says Mr and Mrs Dyer should just build a fireproof wall if they are worried about their fence burning down
Mrs Dyer had to tackle the blaze herself and now feels trapped in her own home due to anxiety, the couple say.
Mr and Mrs Dyer have enlisted a series of top barristers and are suing their neighbour for £8,865 in damages at Guildford County Court over the alleged fence fire.
They are also seeking a permanent injunction barring their neighbour from piling 'combustible or explosive' materials near their fence.
But Mr Baker's barrister, Lina Mattsson, told the court that he says Mr and Mrs Dyer should just build a fireproof wall if they are worried about their fence burning down.
'Mr Baker would suggest that the claimants may wish to replace the wooden fence with a fire-resistant fence - bricks or concrete - if they are concerned about fire,' she told Judge Lindsey George.
'He strenuously denies setting fire to the fence.
'He is 80 years old and in frail health and has absolutely no interest or intention of harassing or intimidating the Dyers or their children - or agents.
'Nor does he wish for the wooden fence to catch fire or for it to be a fire hazard,' she added.
