Michael Brown, pictured, today had a case thrown out of the High Court after he failed to show up. The businessman was seeking extra time to settle a debt with property tycoon Nick Candy
A businessman who launched a £1.5 billion court case against a property tycoon over a failed penthouse deal with the Saudi Royal Family had conned a television producer out of Champion’s League Final tickets, a court heard today.
Michael Brown, 50, dragged 46-year-old Nick Candy through the courts, after the pair fell out over the most expensive flat in Britain found in a complex in Hyde Park, South West London.
He claimed he had a buyer from the Saudi Royal Family for the £175m property which boasts heated marble floors, a library, in-house maid service and SAS trained security guards.
Mr Brown blamed Mr Candy for scuppering the deal but his case was thrown out of the High Court.
Today it emerged Brown has two convictions for theft after he scammed a Qatari television presenter nearly £60,000.
Brown promised to use the funds to buy football tickets, but he pocketed the money and was jailed for 17 months at Southwark Crown Court on 10 October 2014.
Mr Mohammed Al-Kuwari was studying in London while working for a Qatari television studio reporting on football in England.
On 28 May 2011 the Champions League Final was due to be played at Wembley Stadium between Barcelona and Manchester United.
Mr Al Kuwari wanted tickets to the game for a Saudi prince he was friends with and transferred £61,000 to a contact at the Qatari embassy.
The contact, a security guard, then passed £56,000 over to Throne Entertainment Limited a PR and Entertainment company, where Brown was the sole director.
Brown had sued Mr Candy for £1.5 billion over claims the tycoon had deliberately collapsed
Nick Candy, pictured with his wife Holly Vallance, an Australian actor, managed a secure a limited civil order against Brown, barring him from taking further court action without the prior permission of a High Court judge
The tickets were never procured, and the money remains missing. Brown was jailed for his deception after representing himself at trial.
Most recently Brown was ordered to pay £130,000 in costs to Mr Candy after he lost the property hearing this year.
Mr Candy, who is married to Australian actress Holly Valance, 36, was accused of plotting to collapse the deal by Brown in a court hearing in July of this year.
The case was thrown out of court amid suspicions that there had never been a buyer for the luxury suite at all.
Today’s hearing was listed at the request of Brown for more time to pay off the debt after he claimed he could not find a lawyer because they were all on holiday.
Brown did not turn up and the application was refused.
Judge Michael Green QC said: ‘Given that the claimant has not turned up on his own application, I am obviously going to dismiss the application.
‘I am clearly of the view that it is an application that was totally without merit.’
The hearing taking place in the Rolls Building in Central London also heard arguments from lawyers acting on behalf of Mr Candy wanting to slap Brown with a civil restraint order barring further applications without the permission of the court.
David Lascelles representing Mr Candy said: ‘Ever since the claimant kicked them off [the applications] he has sort to court publicity.
‘The claimant said he was fearful of his safety and there was a criminal conspiracy against him. What we have had time and again is these applications made on wholly spurious.
‘This is somebody the court should tell enough is enough. This is at the extreme end of cases.
‘The allegations that have been made, not just about my client and his lawyers, of dishonesty, criminal conspiracy, of bribing the judge, court staff, and the chief master, make this really quite an extreme case.
‘This has been such an experience for my instructing solicitors and their clients and they genuinely believe that it is time for Mr Brown to be stopped.’
Brown is still to pay back the £130,000 and was not granted more time.
Judge Green granted a limited civil restraint order barring applications without permission from a high court judge for one year.
Bankruptcy proceedings against Brown will be heard on December 11.