High Court Sheriff - Seized Family Possessions
"We'll Pay" Say Crest Nicholson-Evicted Houseboat Family
Since April 21st 2004 the Shalom Family of 7 has been denied their entire personal private possessions. They were seized by the High Court Sheriff, in the long running Crest Nicholson-Houseboat Eviction saga. The Family's Houseboat was evicted from Penarth Marina in October 2003. Along with everything they owned, it was subsequently seized from Cardiff Bay in Wales.
Quite simply the Family wish to pay for their possessions which are said to be held in storage but there appears to be a problem and it's not the making of the Shalom Family.
Today, the Family made open request for help. It is reproduced below:-
High Court Enforcement Officers
(Wales & Midlands Group)Philip Courtenay Evans
Martin Leyson
Michael Robert Anderson
Glamorgan & Powys Partnership
22, St. Andrew’s Crescent
Cardiff
CF10 3DD
Faxed to: 02920 377761
Emailed to: Cardiff@wmgonline.co.uk
17th July 2006
Dear Sirs,
PLEASE HELP US
Our Family’s Lifetime Personal Possessions & Private Property
Seized by You at Approx 0300 Hours 21st April 2004
(High Court Enforcement Officers Wales & Midlands Group)
Ref:Cardiff County Court Order, Claim No.CF304564
With reference to the above, we kindly refer you to the documented record and the documented record between us and that of your appointed solicitors, Williams and Prichard, based in Cardiff.
You should be aware that we have satisfied the requests of your solicitors. They are also aware that our Family is immediately prepared to pay for the continued storage of all our possessions, which for the benefit of doubt, include our children’s 7 pet goldfish. However, despite our polite requests, your solicitor has failed to raise their invoice for the stored possessions. Therefore we kindly request that you please help us.
We kindly request that you immediately instruct your solicitor to raise their invoice, or alternatively, please raise your own invoice and forward it to us directly. Please be assured that we’ll pay such invoice raised, upon receipt. Please be sure to include the full presentation of the High Court Sherriff’s, ‘Schedule of Seized Goods’, as part of, or, in the main body, and/or description of your invoice.
Furthermore, there remains outstanding unanswered enquiry. Accordingly, we would be grateful to receive your clarifications and/or confirmation regarding the following matters
• Please confirm the selling price, which you achieved for our Houseboat Home, M V Picton. We understand that during the Court proceedings, the Judge was happy, that in your view, it could only be sold privately for £600?
• Please confirm why you presently appear reluctant to provide a copy of the video, (which you have told us, is mandatory ‘seizure practice’) that you made at the point of seizure.
• Please confirm the details of all of our Family possessions which you arbitrarily decided to leave behind at the private boat yard facility in Avon, or on our houseboat, to be sold-on, at the same time as our Home.
• Please confirm the selling price of each individual item of the above.
• Please confirm the details of our Family possessions, which are still under your care.
• Please provide a breakdown of outstanding Court Costs to date, particularly the costs to the claimant in the proceedings, namely Crest Nicholson Marinas Limited.
Although it is clear from the record that there are huge amounts of our Family personal possessions not yet accounted for by your good selves, it is very important for us to know what has become of the following items. Please help us and confirm what exactly you have done with the following:-
• A lock of hair (and treasured memoria) from our only son Joshua Benedict who died aboard the Picton.
• Our Family’s Holy Bible.
• Our Children’s School History Files and their Personal Achievements, Awards and Certificates of Merit.
• Personal gifts of both financial and sentimental worth from immediate Family, now deceased.
• Photographs and many albums of our Family-Life aboard our Houseboat Home, Picton.
• Birth, Marriage and Death Certificates.
• Life Insurance Documents.
• Passports, Keys, Wallets.
• Our Children’s Pocket Money Piggy Bank.
• Our Children’s 7 pet goldfish.
You should be aware of the entire circumstances surrounding the eviction of our only Home from Penarth marina in the Vale of Glamorgan and the subsequent eviction and seizure of our Home (and all our Family’s possessions) from Cardiff Bay.
We believe that we have tried every way possible to work with you and your solicitors in a respectful, open, honest and truthful manner. In the present circumstances, where many of our reasonable enquiries remain unsatisfied, (mostly ignored) we feel that we have no other option but to make this present enquiry open. Accordingly, you are respectfully advised that from immediate effect, this enquiry is indeed open and is published to the internet at :- http://www.mvpicton.co.uk .
We reiterate that we wish to rebuild our lives with some dignity. Rebuilding our lives and coming to terms with what really happened and why, continues to be an arduous struggle.
For the benefit of doubt, we would like to receive all of our personal private property and possessions, as you informed us, was the last known wish of the claimant in the proceedings.
Finally, whatever mistakes, wrong procedures, and /or, inappropriate activities that have been enacted in the process of this particularly stressful , ‘High Court Sheriff’ seizure operation, we would like to know what happened to all of our Family belongings which were once part of our beautiful Family Home of 14 years.
We would be very grateful to hear from you immediately.
With kind regards,
Marie Louise & Vince Shalom
With our Daughters,
Hannah Louise 14, Naomi Catherine 12, Rachel Mary 8, Rebekah May 7 and Jessica Ellen 5.
c.c
Tony Blair Prime Minister
Rhodri Morgan First Minister for Wales
Lorraine Barrett AM
Mr. John Matthews Chairman Crest Plc