Horse Buying Tips

Here's a guy who's a "bloodstock consultant". Does he sound like someone you'd want parking near your home?

Edited highlights:

"Louise Hamilton faced John Leat in the civil court yesterday."

"Mrs Hamilton is a pensioner and works as a volunteer at Mind, a charity shop in Richmond."

"Mr Leat, 58, now runs his own business, John Leat Consultancy, operating as a bloodstock consultant. The business is registered at the house in Ascot. "

"He has been before the British courts before, in 1998, when his PA claimed that she had been unfairly dismissed for being pregnant. The matter came before a tribunal and was settled out of court. "

"The dispute began on August 11, 2004, when Mrs Hamilton was returning to her home, a flat above a dental surgery in Richmond, southwest London."

"She found her front door blocked by a silver Mercedes belonging to Mr Leat, at that time chairman of Corvus Capital. Her reaction, to write a note for the driver, would land her in Kingston County Court 32 months later."

"She told District Judge Sandip Sethi that she had managed to squeeze past the £70,000 car. She had written a note asking the driver not to park against her front door. "

"David Lyons, an in-house lawyer at Corvus Capital, told the court that Mr Leat had permission to park where he had from the dentist. "

"“Not right up against my front door,” Mrs Hamilton said."

"The court was told that Mr Leat had had an estimate of £882.34 for the repair job, but had had the work done for £1,314.59 at another garage. He was claiming the higher amount."

""The judge said that he could see “no good reason” why Mr Leat had had the car repaired at the more expensive garage." "

--- Don't you wish the judge had followed this line of thinking a little further. Why would he submit a lower estimate at all? His high level lawyer was worth thousands and thousands, why did he let Mr. Leat submit the lower estimate, which would be reported. Why is this Corvus Capital lawyer a part of this anyway? Is this one of the perks of that job, to get lawyers to help you in your personal civil court cases? You think that company would have figured out a way to keep this case from going forward, the negative pr alone is worth more than a thousand pounds.---

"He awarded Mr Leat the lower amount, which with costs and interest, came to £1,141.21."

"Mrs Hamilton, whose sole income is her £99-a-week pension...has 28 days to pay."

"Mr Leat said the case had been “a waste of time” but he did not regret bringing it. "

"“It was a point of principle,” he said. "

"He said that he lived in Geneva. His correspondence with Mrs Hamilton was sent from an address in Ascot."

---These kinds of articles are why I love the London Times. That paper brings to light the stories I want to hear. I want the Nicholas Atwoods and John Leats brought to our attention.

It's stories like this that will save the antique press from extinction.