Nicholas van Hoogstraten (born Nicholas Marcel Hoogstraten on 25 February 1945) is a British businessman and real estate magnate. Something went wrong, please try again later. One entire floor was due to house van Hoogstraten's art collection. [citation needed], On 3 July 2009, after he had reputedly changed his name to Nicholas Adolf von Hessen by deed poll, it was reported that a Zimbabwe court had dismissed the charges of illegal currency dealing and possession of pornography: the police were unable to produce the officer who had allegedly caught him on the currency charge and they had seized the pornography without a warrant. That's the way I am, that's the way I've always been and I'm not going to change. Something went wrong, please try again later. Last edited on 23 February 2023, at 11:30, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Tycoon Nicholas von Hessen cleared over Hove car park row", "Property baron Nicholas Van Hoogstraten is defiant to the last", "Zimbabwe court clears Nicholas van Hoogstraten of porn and currency charges", "Slum landlord says his critics are moronic peasants", "Profile: Nicholas van Hoogstraten: Attila the landlord is back with a vengeance", "Explosives charge man 'was like one of family", "Jane Kelly meets Nicholas van Hoogstraten", "Von Hessen, and Yogi Bear: The many names of Britain's most notorious", "Property tycoon accused of threatening lawyer", "Brighton tenants win costs of action to acquire freehold", "Property millionaire fined for contempt", "Inside the mind of a power-crazed slum landlord with delusions of grandeur", Hamilton Palace designers A.J. Producer: Private Sessions. [3] At 15, he was given a year's probation for his involvement in a stamp-stealing ring following an earlier warning when a stolen typewriter was found in his room.[8]. [5][6], Hoogstraten was born in Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, to Charles, a violent man who worked as a shipping agent importing meat from Argentina who was absent for long periods in South America,[5][3][7][a] and Edna, a housewife. [18] In May 2000, van Hoogstraten was fined 1,500 in Hove Crown Court for contempt of court for his reference the previous September to barrister Graham Campbell during the case: "You dirty bastard. The building is still unfinished. "What else am I supposed to do?" LIKE WHAT WE DO? In April 1998, Raja sued Hoogstraten for conspiracy and fraud.[28]. Former PC James Breeds was today found guilty of gross misconduct for using unlawful force to enter Mr Hamiltons offices and then use pepper spray to arrest him. [30], In the early part of 2005, Hoogstraten's strategy of dispensing with his own legal Counsel and inexplicably mounting his own defence by acting in person, ignoring the Judge's advice to abandon such behaviour, led to the judgement on the 19 December 2005 in favour and for the family of Raja, in their civil action against van Hoogstraten and were awarded 6 million by Mr Justice Lightman, after the court found that on the balance of probabilities "that the recruitment of the two thugs was for the purpose of murdering Mr Raja and not merely to frighten, threaten or hurt him". [3], Hoogstraten was arrested immediately after his release. Stuck on the gate is a sign 'High Cross Estate, Private Property, Keep Out' written in capital letters. Nicholas van Hoogstraten is a super-rich business man whose ruthless exploits have kept his name in the headlines for 30 years. But there is a definite sense of unease. "[17][19], On the site of the former High Cross House, a former nursing home destroyed by a fire of unknown cause,[20] van Hoogstraten began constructing a private mansion he called Hamilton Palace, at Palehouse Common near Uckfield in East Sussex in the mid-1980s. ", In response, the property tycoon shot back: "Hamilton Palace is far from 'crumbling' and was built to last for at least 2,000 years. British businessman Nicholas van Hoogstraten, says he is going to challenge the reconstruction of Hwange Colliery Company Limited (HCCL). He disliked them both and has described his mother as being "a whining cow". he says. Low-level lighting had been installed on the roof, where there was to be a garden, and there was space for a fountain below. It is a grotesque creation. Neighbours are calling for empty Hamilton Palace, built by a notorious slum landlord, to be turned over to the homeless. Nicholas van Hoogstraten leaves the Old Bailey in London, where he he heard will face trial for the murder of 62-year-old Mohammed Sabir Raja, a retired businessman. [37], In 2005, he announced plans to take over NMB, a major Zimbabwe bank, though he sold his stake in the bank for over 1million in late 2007. Born in Shoreham, West Sussex, in 1945, he dealt stamps as a profession in school and by the age of 22 was a millionaire, the youngest in the country, and reported to own around 350 properties in Sussex alone. Many borrowers were unable to maintain his unreasonable payment terms and defaulted on their loans, losing their properties to him and enabling him to build up a substantial property portfolio along the south coast and in London. "And he's going to list all the crimes, or supposed crimes, I'm supposed to have committed. HELP US TO DO MORE OF IT BY DONATING HERE. It wont ever get featured in design magazines. The Common Serjeant of. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. He was born in 1946 in Shoreham, East Sussex, as plain Nicholas Marcel Hoogstraten - the "van" was added later. Mr Von Hoogstraten, who once admitted removing tenants by setting German shepherd dogs on them, was cleared of abusive behaviour in March this year after he called a police officer a "poofter". Why this young man tried to get name secrecy is better underdtood with this provided context. But despite its scale, there is little to hint at its presence as you approach. I'm not interested in spending money, never have been. I regret that causes him any discomfort but we need to balance the needs of the public to have confidence in the disciplinary process.. This is a public hearing, which means the media can attend. But its just as brave to try and build a palace as it is to build a glass pavilion. [15], On 26 January 2008, he was arrested in Harare for allegedly demanding payment in US dollars for rents rather than in Zimbabwean dollars, which is forbidden under Zimbabwean law. Nicholas van Hoogstraten has something of a history with law enforcement: he was given a four-year prison sentence in 1968 for criminal damage, after arranging for a hand grenade to be thrown into . It is thought the estate is now owned by his children through the company Messina Investments. It's a house of truly jaw-dropping scale that was once said to be the most expensive private house built in Britain for a century. He is said to have started making money selling stamps as a teenager before moving into property and, by the age of 22, had 350 properties in Sussex alone. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. If I wanted, I could pay 50 to men in London to get every Jew in Brighton bumped off". Five arrested after fatal stabbing released on bail as murder investigation continues, Person airlifted to hospital in 'life-threatening condition' being pulled from water in Eastbourne, An ambulance and coastguard were also called to the scene, Residents evacuated from their homes in early hours, Council refers itself to national regulator over standard of its homes, The authority - which covers Shoreham, Lancing, Southwick and Fishersgate - admitted some tenants live in homes that are below standard, which is "unacceptable", Plans released for a new Premier Inn hotel along seafront, The plans involve a 116-bedroom Premier Inn hotel, Snow and sleet set to hit Sussex towns next week, Horsham vets save dog who was hit by train after being scared by fireworks. Doesnt the fact that one man who enriched himself at the expense of tenants can afford to carry out such a wasteful project of architectural self-glorification while so many are locked out of the property market say something about the times in which we live? It is owned by Nicholas van Hoogstraten a notorious landlord and personal friend of Robert Mugabe who has been building it in 1985. It is a clear message: do not try and come in. 5K views 4 months ago Just outside Uckfield, in East Sussex is Hamilton Palace, often named "The Devil's Palace", because of the person that owns it. Nicholas Van Hoogstraten in 1967, when he was Britain's youngest millionaire, Nicholas van Hoogstraten at court in Brighton in January 1968, Van Hoogstraten (now known as Nicholas Von Hessen) leaves Brighton Magistrates Court in March 2020 he was cleared of behaviour causing harassment, alarm or distress after a row with a police officer over clamping at a car park he owns, Nicholas van Hoogstraten in 1967, when he was 22 years old and described as Britain's youngest millionaire, during an interview for the Sunday Mirror, Hamilton Palace in 2000, when work was still ongoing, The impressive structure from a distance, with a dome seen above trees, A second building on the estate a short distance away from the main house, The stern words of warning at the gates to the estate today. ", He adds with a smile: "As long as it's entertaining for the public, that's all that matters.". A couple of years before that documentary, he'd done another for ITV with journalist Martin Bashir in 1999, during which van Hoogstraten took a camera crew on a tour of his 40m mansion during its construction and discussed the planting of trees on the estate, saying he was doing it himself to buy his way into heaven. Most recently, he was found guilty of the manslaughter of business associate Mohammed Sabir Raja, who was stabbed five times and shot at point-blank range by hitmen sent by Hoogstraten. Anger is distorting modern life. He was born on February 25, 1945 and his birthplace is Shoreham-by-Sea. [12] He was freed on appeal. he British landscape is marked with grandiose architectural indulgences, from the, after being exonerated in a horrific murder case on appeal. Scroll below and check our most recent updates about Nicholas van Hoogstraten's Estimated Net Worth, Age, Biography, Career, Height, Weight, Family, Wiki. Raja was stabbed five times in the heart and neck and was shot in the head twice at point blank range, dying as a consequence. He is said to have started making money selling stamps as a teenager before moving into property and, by the age of 22, had 350 properties in Sussex alone. [4] In 2000, he described his opponents in the case as being "a bunch of disenfranchised perverts". Few have been inside, but one reporter who did, in 2000, when it was said to be two years off completion, described a grand central staircase and reception hall, with lift shafts already installed and expensive stone balustrades and pillars. [4][38] He was charged with violating the Censorship Act by possessing pornographic photographs;[39] women in "indecent poses", a proportion of which also featured van Hoogstraten himself. What you are calling a crime down here, it's not a crime in reality. But van Hoogstraten has been the subject of several interviews and documentaries over the years and has seemed happy enough to talk to journalists, many of whom have been on to the grounds of his vast Uckfield estate, which has been described in headlines as "devil's palace". But this impressive house remains no more than a huge shell, lying unfinished 35 years later. The neoclassical palace features a copper dome and is larger than Buckingham Palace. Monsters are pitiable. Low-level lighting had been installed on the roof, where there was to be a garden, and there was space for a fountain below. Van Hoogstraten, a convicted criminal who is now 76 and goes by the name of Nicholas von Hessen, is a Sussex native born in Shoreham who owns dozens of properties in the area. Braunstein's son David owed a debt to Hoogstraten over a failed textile business they had jointly owned. 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