Aristocrats evict sex therapist who moved into their Grade II listed house with 50 farmyard animals
Aristocratic landlords have won a legal battle to evict a sex therapist who moved into their Grade II listed house with 50 farmyard animals.
‘Lady Pea’ Patricia Ramshaw is locked in a row with the wealthy Cator family over the rental of the Old House in Ranworth, Norfolk.
The Cators allege that Ms Ramshaw breached the terms of her tenancy when she arrived with a menagerie of animals, including four dogs, several sheep, horses, ducks and geese.
They asked Ms Ramshaw to vacate the property but talks broke down.
Ms Ramshaw is desperate to leave the property and the Cators want the same outcome.
However, the stand-off is centred around Ms Ramshaw’s request to be refunded more than £40,000 in rent and £13,000 in energy bills accumulated while she has been living in the home.
The bitter spat has since played out in courtrooms across the region, with tribunal and district judge presiding over several hearings, and has been ongoing for more than a year.
The latest hearing saw Ms Ramshaw state that she had sought refuge by renting the house while attempting to flee domestic violence.
She said she had paid the Cators a year’s rent in advance, but found the property without central heating, riddled with mould and “freezing cold”.
She says the Cator family agreed to repay her in full, but that talks over the terms of her departure had broken down.
At a previous hearing, the Cator family convinced a judge to make a possession order against her.
But the latest hearing was set following an application from Ms Ramshaw to suspend the order.
District Judge Russell threw the case out stating the court had not received the necessary paperwork to back up the appeal.
He added that she had “no prospects of succeeding”.
But Ms Ramshaw insists that she submitted the paperwork and that the court had “lost them”.
The judge said: “I have no evidence that you have made any application - you say the court staff are looking into it, but I have seen no record of any grounds of appeal.
“There is no record of this and I can only go with what the court has.
“I am dismissing the appeal you have made as it has no substance and no prospects of succeeding.”
The judge also dismissed a request from the Cators for a restraining order against Ms Ramshaw.
Byroni Kleopa, representing the Cators, said that at a previous court date, Ms Ramshaw had submitted a 400-page witness statement via email on the day of the hearing.
She said: “We have had application, after application, after application and every one of them has failed.
“The tenant has not paid rent for over a year and has arrears of £41,000 which continues to increase on a daily basis.”
Ms Ramshaw, however, dismissed her statement as “lies”.
In a previous hearing Ms Ramshaw alleged that Jane Cator, the mother of her landlord Sam, had spied on her from a nearby church tower.
The Cator family has declined to comment on the case.
