Robbie Keane and his wife Claudine have won a €350k court battle to evict a tenant at their £3.8million mansion in Hertfordshire.
According to MailOnline, the legal drama kicked off three years ago when Sandi St Paul, 74, and her drummer friend Stewart Lawrence stopped paying the £8,000-a-month rent in April 2020.
Giving evidence at the Central London County Court this week, the Keanes revealed the pair owe them nearly £300,000 in back rent.
While Mr Lawrence moved out of the property about a year ago, Ms St Paul, who was his guarantor for the rent, remained at the house.
Speaking in court, Claudine said she had been reduced to tears by the row, and was left “begging” for access to her own house, fearing it was being “destroyed”.
But in response, St Paul, who is wheelchair bound, claimed they withheld on rent after being left with “no heating or hot water for two winters” by their landlords.
The Keanes lawyer Gemma De Cordova also said the couple had tried to settle the case numerous times outside of court, but to no avail.
“This is their family home, they have been denied access for a considerable period of time with no rent paid for many many months,” she told the Central London County Court.
“These proceedings have suffered from severe delay, which is causing much distress to the the claimants and is causing rent arrears and legal costs to escalate.”
“It is imperative that they are able to obtain the relief that they so desperately seek, primarily possession of their family home and that these proceedings come to a conclusion.”
In conclusion, Judge Heather Baucher sided with the Keanes and ordered Ms St Paul out of the house.
She was also handed a bill for £292,192 in rent arrears, plus £70,000 towards Robbie and Claudine’s legal fees.
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