Elderly ‘gang’ sued over alleged village vendetta

A “MENACING GANG” comprising a GP and three village pensioners is being sued for £1.3million over an alleged campaign of harassment against their multi-millionaire neighbours.

Mark Randolph Dyer, a property magnate, and his wife Clare claim their lives have been blighted by a “vendetta” orchestrated by four residents of the hamlet of Brook, near Godalming, Surrey, where they live in a £2.6million home, the High Court heard.

The four, all members of the residents’ group, are Dr Andrew Cross, 63, David Small, 81, a retired bank executive, his wife Susan, 78, and Patricia Webb, 77, a charity trustee. They are accused of ganging up to harass the Dyers, looking at them in a “spooky” way, using long lenses to intrude on their privacy and trespassing on their land, amid a long-running row over building plans.

In one incident, Mr Small, who had worked for the Bank of England, is said to have appeared on the roof of his house “mimicking the voice” from his rich neighbours’ security system.

The four deny any wrongdoing, calling the case “vexatious” and a “misconceived attempt to litigate village politics and perceived insults”.

Mr and Mrs Dyer, both 58, applied for an injunction against their neighbours, pending their full claim at a later date.

They moved into their home, which has a pool and tennis court, in 1997.

However, in 2007 they clashed with council planners after they installed a “permanent helipad” in their field, which they were told to remove via an enforcement notice.

The Dyers are seeking an injunction “prohibiting neighbours from objecting to planning applications”. Judge Dexter Dias KC reserved his decision, signalling that he will give his ruling in July.

‘Vexatious case is a misconceived attempt to litigate village politics and perceived insults’