London squatter who was asleep inside a former Oval music venue when its owner began demolishing it wins £2,000 payout

Nicola Saia had sought up to £60,000 from owner Ravinder Laly and his firm RSL Slough Ltd. Recorder Tom Shepherd at Central London County Court ruled that Laly harassed him by carrying out repeated threats to bring the roof down. Saia woke at 9am in July 2023 to banging, debris and a hole in his ceiling. Laly denied harassment and unlawful eviction.

The Cricketers in Kennington once hosted The Pogues, Happy Mondays and Desmond Dekker.

The judge found Saia was not a legal tenant, so his eviction claim failed.

Laly had messaged him beforehand that 'the roof would be coming down'.