Defendant told to pay £100k legal costs to council over harassment campaign

A man has been ordered to pay Hertsmere Borough Council £100,000 in legal costs after he conducted a long campaign of harassment against councillors and officers.

Thomas Cullen, of Nightingale Road, Bushey, Hertfordshire, made repeated accusations of dishonesty, conspiracy, fraud, concealment, corruption and misconduct in public office after Hertsmere rejected his contention that a tree in a neighbouring garden should not have been subject to a preservation order.

The council asked him to cease the harassment but when Mr Cullen began to visit councillors’ homes and disrupt meetings, Hertsmere applied to the High Court for a Protection from Harassment injunction. 

This was due to go to trial last October, but Mr Cullen then gave a binding undertaking that he would stop his campaign.

A Hertsmere statement said Mr Cullen acknowledged that any breach of the undertaking would be contempt of court, rendering him liable to imprisonment and to paying the council’s legal costs. 

But in January and February 2017 he repeatedly breached his undertaking by posting on Facebook similar allegations to those made earlier about councillors and officers. When he also made false allegations of theft to the police, council lawyers began committal proceedings.

In March, the High Court gave an order which required Mr Cullen to apologise on social media for his conduct, take down his previous Facebook postings and contribute £100,000 to the council’s legal costs.  

Hertsmere said it was on 11 April granted an interim charging order on Mr Cullen’s interest in his home to secure the £100,000.   

Chief executive Donald Graham commented: “I hope this now brings to a halt a very unpleasant campaign against members and officers.

“ As a public body, we expect to be challenged by residents on those occasions when they feel aggrieved over our decisions and actions. 

“However, officers and elected members also have the right to expect to be able to carry out their work and duties without fear of harassment or abuse in any form.”

Mark Smulian