Squatters sent packing as they try to 're-house' themselves in £7m home
Squatters evicted from a £10 million house were thwarted by security guards as they tried to invade a second home near "Billionaires' Row".
The 30-strong group had selected a palatial property a stone's throw from The Bishops Avenue in Hampstead, one of Britain's most expensive streets, after they were forced from the former home of ITV director John Ormerod in Highgate.
After boasting their new home was "even better", leader Jason Ruddick admitted they had been unable to get in because it was so secure.
The 21-year-old unemployed Latvian said the squatters were disturbed outside the £7 million house in Winnington Road on Friday by a member of the owner's staff, who live at a family home opposite.
He said: "We tried to get in on Friday as the garden is accessible, but this guy came up to us and said, 'What the f**k are you doing?' Then he said he was going to call the police, so we left."
The official owner of the six-bedroom house is Paseo International Developments, a company registered in the British Virgin Islands. However the house belongs to businessman and property developer Abubaker Megerisi and is on the market.
A representative for the Megerisi family said they "did not want to comment" about the attempted occupation.
The squatters have now moved to a new property in Kensington, although Mr Ruddick said they were planning to re-visit the Winnington Road house to see if they could get in.
He added: "We are going back to have a look. The windows are all boarded up and even if you take them off, we can't get through the window frames."
Legally, squatters are only allowed to enter an empty property if it is left unsecured.
But messages left on web forums have raised concerns that many squatters are in fact attempting to break into secure houses and then claim they entered lawfully.
Messages posted on the Advisory Service For Squatters website by a person purporting to be Mr Ruddick ask for advice about overcoming security measures on homes.
One post says: "Can someone lend me a drill. I need it to open a squat ... and nobody I know has one. Or, you can come with me to open it, and I'll give you the best room."
Another asks: "Surely, there must be experienced squatters out there using these techniques? Kind of obvious, when you consider that conventional squatting methods are noisy, time-consuming and usually cause criminal damage.
"Of course, I understand that those in the know may not want to discuss it publicly." Terry Kraski, from the Advisory Service For Squatters said the fact squatters break into properties was "not a surprise".
He said: "Nothing shocks me, I'm afraid. It is not a surprise but it is illegal - anybody who is caught breaking into a place is liable to arrest for criminal damage."
