0:00:02 > 0:00:05'What do you do if you're ripped off and don't know where to turn?'
0:00:05 > 0:00:08I outlined the faults in the vehicle. He rejected those.
0:00:08 > 0:00:12'A court of law backs you but you still don't get your money.'
0:00:12 > 0:00:14Little did I know how long it would take
0:00:14 > 0:00:17to try and recover the money from him.
0:00:17 > 0:00:19Sorry.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22'It's time to call the sheriffs.'
0:00:22 > 0:00:26We have every right to enter the premises by force if necessary.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29We will be entering that building.
0:00:29 > 0:00:35'Sheriffs are High Court enforcement officers who recover what a court judgement says is owed.'
0:00:36 > 0:00:41They've ordered us to come here and seize goods to the value of this debt.
0:00:43 > 0:00:47'They're the experts in getting cash that's rightfully yours.'
0:00:47 > 0:00:50£1,323.
0:00:50 > 0:00:54- 'But fighting for the underdog isn't a job for the faint-hearted.' - Mind yourself.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57I'll back that truck through your windscreen.
0:00:57 > 0:01:00- 'Debtors aren't pleased to see them.'- They're harassing me.
0:01:00 > 0:01:02'Because they hate paying up.'
0:01:02 > 0:01:07- Are you happy for me to leave you some paperwork?- No, I'm not. Go away.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12'In today's programme...
0:01:13 > 0:01:17'..the sheriffs go into battle on behalf of an 80-year-old pensioner
0:01:17 > 0:01:21'who's owed over £1,000 by the owners of an auction house.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24'The debtors give their visitors a hostile reception.'
0:01:26 > 0:01:31- Don't come over here with that camera, I'm telling you that now! I'll- BLEEP- knock you out!
0:01:32 > 0:01:37'The sheriffs confront a plumber who charged a customer £2,000
0:01:37 > 0:01:40'for a bathroom fitting he never even started.'
0:01:40 > 0:01:45- Why are you here?- Because the money's still owed.- So what are you here for?- To collect the money.
0:01:45 > 0:01:47'And 65-year-old Paul Gravette
0:01:47 > 0:01:51'won a personal injury claim after a fall left him in agony.'
0:01:51 > 0:01:53It was unbearable.
0:01:53 > 0:01:58And I had to go to hospital with it because I couldn't stand the pain much longer.
0:01:58 > 0:02:02'Paul was awarded £4,000 but he never got his cash.
0:02:02 > 0:02:05'Can a sheriff put that right?'
0:02:13 > 0:02:17'Beryl, a 90-year-old pensioner who lives in a care home in Middlesex,
0:02:17 > 0:02:19'needs the help of the sheriffs.
0:02:19 > 0:02:23'Beryl's relatives decided to auction some of her furniture for her,
0:02:23 > 0:02:25'but it all went badly wrong.'
0:02:25 > 0:02:28Beryl lived all her life, she's a spinster,
0:02:28 > 0:02:31she lived all her life either caring for her parents
0:02:31 > 0:02:36or working, she held a very responsible job in the NHS.
0:02:37 > 0:02:41'But when Beryl reached her 80s, her health started to decline.'
0:02:41 > 0:02:46Unfortunately, dementia set in and she was unable to care for herself at home,
0:02:46 > 0:02:48and over a prolonged period,
0:02:48 > 0:02:53with increasing amounts of carers at home, she gradually deteriorated
0:02:53 > 0:02:58and we had to move her into a residential care home, which is where she is now.
0:02:58 > 0:03:02'In 2010, Sheila's husband David
0:03:02 > 0:03:07'asked a local auctioneers to sell some of Beryl's belongings to raise some funds for her.
0:03:07 > 0:03:13'The property was sold at auction and they waited patiently for Beryl's money to arrive.'
0:03:13 > 0:03:15And no cheque.
0:03:15 > 0:03:19And at this point, we just thought, "Well, that's not right."
0:03:19 > 0:03:22And this went on for about two months.
0:03:22 > 0:03:26Throughout January, I started to phone them. I emailed them.
0:03:26 > 0:03:30They would never come up with anything. They'd always promise us,
0:03:30 > 0:03:32"Oh, yes, it'll be next week" and nothing would appear.
0:03:32 > 0:03:37The old cliche, the cheque will be in the post. And it never was.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39You know, she needs this money.
0:03:39 > 0:03:44It's to help her in her final years
0:03:44 > 0:03:46have what she needs.
0:03:46 > 0:03:50So we should make every attempt
0:03:50 > 0:03:54to get what is hers for her.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57'David and Sheila went to the county court
0:03:57 > 0:04:01'and got a judgement for £1,503.
0:04:01 > 0:04:05'But the auction house still didn't hand over Beryl's cash.'
0:04:05 > 0:04:10Even though the court's decision is that the auction house need to pay up,
0:04:10 > 0:04:15there doesn't seem to be any kind of stick in order to make that happen.
0:04:15 > 0:04:20There doesn't seem to be any way of gradually increasing the pressure on the auction house
0:04:20 > 0:04:23to make sure that they do pay.
0:04:23 > 0:04:25I'm lost in all of this
0:04:25 > 0:04:30because I don't really understand why, at some stage, there isn't a further threat.
0:04:31 > 0:04:36'But there is a further threat. The High Court Enforcement Office.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39'Their job is to get people the money they're owed.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42'When Sheila and David found out about it,
0:04:42 > 0:04:48'they contacted the sheriffs here in Croydon, and now they're swinging into action.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54'Lawrence Grix and Kev McNally
0:04:54 > 0:04:57'are on their way to the auction house in North Finchley.
0:04:57 > 0:05:02'The auctioneers now owe over £2,000 because of interest and court costs.
0:05:04 > 0:05:09'But the biggest settlement the sheriffs have ever had is £5 million,
0:05:09 > 0:05:13'so they're pretty confident about sorting this more modest sum.'
0:05:13 > 0:05:15It's only about £2,400,
0:05:15 > 0:05:19so I'm quite hopeful that we'll be able to get that cleared quite easily.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22But we'll see when we get there. Hopefully, it should be open
0:05:22 > 0:05:26because of the time of day, and it is a commercial premises.
0:05:27 > 0:05:29So hopefully we'll be all right.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34'Lawrence and Kev have arrived at the auction house.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37'It's time to get Beryl her money.'
0:05:37 > 0:05:41- Hello there. Are you in charge, sir? - I am at the moment, yeah.
0:05:41 > 0:05:43My name's Mr Grix.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45- I'm a High Court enforcement officer.- Yeah?
0:05:45 > 0:05:49And I've come here today to enforce the High Court writ
0:05:49 > 0:05:53on behalf of a claimant, Mrs Sheila Fathers.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56- I don't... - You don't know anything about it?
0:05:56 > 0:06:00It's against Euro UK 2 Limited trading as NL Auctions,
0:06:00 > 0:06:03- which is here, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:06:03 > 0:06:10Erm, basically, there was property auctioned off and they never received the proceeds.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12When was that?
0:06:14 > 0:06:19Let's see if I've got that. I think I've got the actual copy of the auction paperwork.
0:06:21 > 0:06:2415th November 2010.
0:06:24 > 0:06:28I've got a list here of what was sold.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32'At this point, the camera operator was asked to leave the auction house.'
0:06:32 > 0:06:38I'm here today, sir, to collect £2,283.41 in cleared funds
0:06:38 > 0:06:40or I'll be removing goods.
0:06:40 > 0:06:44'The man tells Lawrence he's had no notice of this writ,
0:06:44 > 0:06:48'he knows nothing about it and the property on display doesn't belong to the business.'
0:06:48 > 0:06:51Well, that's down to you or whoever to prove
0:06:51 > 0:06:54because we are ordered here to remove goods and that's what we're here to do.
0:06:56 > 0:07:00'The man makes a phone call and then asks to see the High Court writ.'
0:07:00 > 0:07:03I've got a stamped copy there.
0:07:03 > 0:07:07That's basically just a copy without the stamp on that I'm happy for you to have.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10It's basically exactly the same. That was a copy of the original judgement.
0:07:10 > 0:07:14Obviously, nobody turned up or bothered to reply to it.
0:07:16 > 0:07:18OK?
0:07:18 > 0:07:20So it's what's known as a judgement in default,
0:07:20 > 0:07:23because nobody from this company filed a defence against it.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28But this is the stuff that was sold.
0:07:28 > 0:07:32I've got the list of stock here that was sold,
0:07:32 > 0:07:34which our client has provided us with.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39'The phone call the man made was to his wife. She's just arrived.'
0:07:41 > 0:07:47Right, I've given your colleague here the copy of the original county court judgement
0:07:47 > 0:07:49and this is a generic copy of the writ.
0:07:49 > 0:07:53'The woman asks if the writ is for the disputed figure,
0:07:53 > 0:07:55'£1,503.'
0:07:55 > 0:07:58No. £2283.41.
0:07:58 > 0:08:02Cos it's gone to the county court, so there's court costs there,
0:08:02 > 0:08:06it's been transferred up to the High Court, so there's court costs there,
0:08:06 > 0:08:08and there's costs for us coming out today.
0:08:08 > 0:08:12'The woman refuses to pay the additional costs.'
0:08:12 > 0:08:15I'll be removing goods. Because we don't come out for nothing.
0:08:15 > 0:08:19'It's not just Beryl who needs her money today.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21'The sheriffs incur costs, too.
0:08:21 > 0:08:25'These are paid by the debtor, not the client.'
0:08:25 > 0:08:31Right, our fees are £588.66 plus VAT, as it says on there.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34'And the longer this goes on, the greater the cost.
0:08:34 > 0:08:39'High Court enforcement officer overtime is £180 per hour.
0:08:39 > 0:08:44'The owner's wife offers part payment by cheque, but that's not good enough.'
0:08:44 > 0:08:48It needs to be the full amount and it needs to be in cleared funds.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50And that is the bottom line.
0:08:50 > 0:08:54'At this point, our camera operator is asked to move away.'
0:08:54 > 0:08:56- I'm fed up with this- BLEEP!
0:08:56 > 0:08:59Can you move? I don't want you round here! Go!
0:08:59 > 0:09:01What do you think this is?
0:09:03 > 0:09:06'The owner's wife then shouts a bit more.'
0:09:06 > 0:09:08You with them?
0:09:08 > 0:09:12You don't come in my auction, right, filming nothing! I'm telling you that now!
0:09:12 > 0:09:14'And goes in the direction of the bank.'
0:09:14 > 0:09:17Move him from there! That's my private property!
0:09:20 > 0:09:23'Ten minutes later, the owner's wife returns
0:09:23 > 0:09:27'and Beryl's money is handed over in cash.'
0:09:29 > 0:09:32Don't come over here with that camera, I'm telling you that now!
0:09:32 > 0:09:35- Cos the way I feel, I'll- BLEEP- knock you out!
0:09:38 > 0:09:41'Inside the auction house, Lawrence and Kev finalise the paperwork
0:09:41 > 0:09:44'with the man who was there when they arrived.
0:09:44 > 0:09:50'It turns out he's one of the company directors and he didn't like handing over Beryl's cash.'
0:09:50 > 0:09:55The husband got quite aggressive towards the end. I don't think he wanted to part with the money.
0:09:55 > 0:10:01But in the end he did, we gave him a receipt, collected full payment and we're on our way to the next job.
0:10:02 > 0:10:07'The battle at NL Auctions was par for the course for Lawrence and Kev.'
0:10:07 > 0:10:09People are quite often aggressive.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12A lot of the time, the people that we're going to
0:10:12 > 0:10:14have been trying to avoid the debt in the first place
0:10:14 > 0:10:17and the last thing they want is us turning up.
0:10:17 > 0:10:23And aggression is a last-ditch, last resort to try and prevent themselves having to pay.
0:10:23 > 0:10:25But it doesn't work, cos we're used to it
0:10:25 > 0:10:28and if necessary, we'll call the police for assistance.
0:10:28 > 0:10:33'An hour after arriving at the auction house, the sheriffs are on their way
0:10:33 > 0:10:35'and Beryl will get her money soon.
0:10:38 > 0:10:40'We asked NL Auctions to comment.
0:10:40 > 0:10:45'Susan Tarrone from the company said this unfortunate incident was an isolated case
0:10:45 > 0:10:50'and occurred at a time of stress and illness in her family and was a matter that got out of hand.
0:10:50 > 0:10:54'She also apologised for her language at the time of filming.'
0:11:01 > 0:11:03Yeah, we can force entry to a commercial premises.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08'This High Court Enforcement Office is based in London.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13'It employs over 40 full-time officers,
0:11:13 > 0:11:18'returning tens of millions of pounds to people owed money every year.'
0:11:20 > 0:11:23Oh, brilliant! Looks like I've got my money back.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26'High Court enforcement officers, also known as sheriffs,
0:11:26 > 0:11:33'have more powers than bailiffs to enter properties, remove goods and auction them to settle debts.'
0:11:33 > 0:11:37- Listen, I'm a director of the company.- Yep.- I'm asking you to leave the premises.
0:11:37 > 0:11:39- Phone the police.- I will do.- OK.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42'It's a job that dates back to Saxon times
0:11:42 > 0:11:45'and it's busier than ever.
0:11:45 > 0:11:50'Over 70,000 High Court writs are executed in this country every year.'
0:11:50 > 0:11:53- We're here to seize goods.- Oh.
0:11:53 > 0:11:57'It's 6.30am and two sheriffs have been dispatched to a new job.
0:11:59 > 0:12:01'This time Kev's joined by Mark Newton.
0:12:01 > 0:12:05'They're acting on behalf of a customer who paid a plumber
0:12:05 > 0:12:07'thousands of pounds to fit a new bathroom.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10'But he never did the work.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13'After spending four months trying to get her money back,
0:12:13 > 0:12:15'the customer got a High Court writ
0:12:15 > 0:12:18'which the sheriffs are about to enforce.'
0:12:19 > 0:12:22We're in, er, Hertford this morning.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25We're looking for a Mr Wayne Everett
0:12:25 > 0:12:28who owes £4,291.
0:12:28 > 0:12:32We'll just give it a knock and see whether we can get any answers.
0:12:35 > 0:12:41- RINGING - Please come in, here's my debit card for four and a half thousand pounds.
0:12:45 > 0:12:51'There's no answer, but luckily, the plumber lives in the ground-floor flat
0:12:51 > 0:12:53'so Mark can look for signs of life.'
0:12:58 > 0:13:00- RINGING - He must be there. There's someone in.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03There's got to be someone in. They just don't wake up, do they?
0:13:03 > 0:13:08'An old sheriff's trick is trying the tradesman's entrance button.'
0:13:09 > 0:13:13- Coming at seven o'clock. - How did you learn that?
0:13:17 > 0:13:20HE KNOCKS ON DOOR
0:13:20 > 0:13:22'If the plumber was asleep, he isn't any more.'
0:13:25 > 0:13:31- Hiya. I'm after Wayne Everett.- Yeah. - I've got a High Court writ that's been issued.
0:13:31 > 0:13:35'Mr Everett tells Mark that the case is being referred back to court.'
0:13:35 > 0:13:39We've got another hearing on the 24th.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42OK. Have you got any details of that here? Cos we haven't been told this.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45- Wait there.- Yeah, no worries.
0:13:47 > 0:13:52'If Mr Everett had left the door open, Mark and Kev could've walked straight in
0:13:52 > 0:13:55'and looked for property to remove to clear the debt.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58'High Court enforcement officers have significant power
0:13:58 > 0:14:01'to access even residential properties.'
0:14:05 > 0:14:09- Hi there.- There we go.
0:14:09 > 0:14:13- Right. OK. Let's take a quick photo of that.- Yep.
0:14:13 > 0:14:18- Are you aware that at the moment it's still a live writ? - Well, we're going back to court.
0:14:18 > 0:14:22'The court documents show that Mr Everett offered to pay his customer
0:14:22 > 0:14:25'£40 per month to pay off the debt,
0:14:25 > 0:14:28'but she wanted £250 per month.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31'Mr Everett is now contesting the whole case.'
0:14:31 > 0:14:35- OK? So...- All right, I'm just going to take a photo of this. Yeah?
0:14:35 > 0:14:39- You've sent a copy of this to our office, you say?- Sorry?
0:14:39 > 0:14:44- Have you sent a copy of this... - The court... The court will have done that.- No, they wouldn't.
0:14:44 > 0:14:48- Can I have that? - Yeah, I just want to take a photo. - I'm not going to allow you to.
0:14:48 > 0:14:52Well, I know, but otherwise... They're going to say, "Have you seen some proof? Where is it?"
0:14:52 > 0:14:57- and I'll say, "I haven't got a photo of it".- It's going through the court.- I need a photo.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00I'm not going to let you. You've come knocking on the door,
0:15:00 > 0:15:03- you haven't done your research... - But it's still a live writ.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06It hasn't gone back to court. It's still live, it's still owed.
0:15:06 > 0:15:12- You offered £40 a month, yeah? - Your client will get, basically,
0:15:12 > 0:15:14nothing when we go to court
0:15:14 > 0:15:19- and they're told that I was disturbed, and my partner, at this time in the morning.- That's fine.
0:15:19 > 0:15:23- That's not for us to decide. - We're not deciding anything.
0:15:23 > 0:15:28No. But you saying whoever's going to get X amount, that's not for us to decide.
0:15:28 > 0:15:32- We're here...- It will look embarrassing on your point of view. - It's nothing to do with us.
0:15:32 > 0:15:36- We're just here to enforce a writ. - But it's going through the courts.
0:15:36 > 0:15:41- But it's still a live writ. - We are appearing in court. - It's a live writ. That's the point.
0:15:41 > 0:15:45- That's why we're going back to court. - No, but it's still a live writ.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48- At this current stage, it's still owed.- Fine, yeah.
0:15:48 > 0:15:52- Right. So that's why we're here. - So why are you here? - Because the money's still owed.
0:15:52 > 0:15:57- What are you here for? - To collect the money.- But we're going back to court so you can't.
0:15:57 > 0:16:02- OK, we're just going round in circles here.- You allowing us to take a picture would make it easier.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05I tell you what, I'll fax a copy to your office.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08We've come all the way here, we could just take a photo of it, job done.
0:16:08 > 0:16:12- Saves you faxing it. - Go on, then, take a photo of it.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16So I'm presuming you don't want to pay, then.
0:16:16 > 0:16:20- Obviously not. We're going to court. - All right, I'm just asking.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29Like I say, it's still a live writ and it can be enforced.
0:16:29 > 0:16:33Until the day you go back to court and you get the answer...
0:16:33 > 0:16:36- The judgement.- And the judgement may not go your way.
0:16:37 > 0:16:42'And if Mr Everett does lose in court, he's going to face an even greater debt.
0:16:42 > 0:16:44'Each sheriff visit adds to the cost.'
0:16:44 > 0:16:47- I'm speaking from your client's point of view.- Yeah.
0:16:47 > 0:16:52- What if she loses?- Yeah. She loses. - And it's costing her a fortune. - It's not costing her anything.
0:16:52 > 0:16:56- Well, she's got to pay for you. - No. She doesn't pay for us.
0:16:56 > 0:16:58Well, it seems on the figures that she is,
0:16:58 > 0:17:03- because I'm having to pay for it myself.- Yeah, you pay.- If I lose.
0:17:03 > 0:17:05Yeah. You pay for it.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08- And if I win...- Yeah. - ..who pays for you?
0:17:08 > 0:17:11- No-one. - Oh, that's a shame, isn't it?
0:17:11 > 0:17:15- HE LAUGHS - All right, you've got the paperwork.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18See you. Thank you. Bye-bye.
0:17:18 > 0:17:21'If the sheriffs don't get any money for a client,
0:17:21 > 0:17:23'they only charge an admin fee of £60.'
0:17:25 > 0:17:27Let's DVLA some cars.
0:17:27 > 0:17:33'Mark wasn't able to gain access to Mr Everett's flat to list potential property for removal,
0:17:33 > 0:17:36'but Mr Everett may own one of the cars in the car park.
0:17:36 > 0:17:41'If he does, the sheriffs could remove it at a later date to pay off his debt.'
0:17:42 > 0:17:46I'll get the lot down. I'll write a load down.
0:17:48 > 0:17:54'When he gets back to the office, Mark will do a DVLA check on all the vehicle registrations
0:17:54 > 0:17:57'to see if any of them do belong to Mr Everett.'
0:17:57 > 0:18:01- The only one that's worth money is on foreign plates! - HE LAUGHS
0:18:01 > 0:18:05He may have a result where he needs to pay.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07Then he's obviously not going to be so happy.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10But we'll see what happens with it in the end.
0:18:13 > 0:18:18'And Mark and Kev may well be making a return visit to Mr Everett.
0:18:19 > 0:18:21'When he finally did go to court,
0:18:21 > 0:18:26'the judge ruled he should pay £50 a month until he clears the debt to his customer.
0:18:26 > 0:18:31'If one payment is missed, the sheriffs will be back.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39'Lawrence and Kev's next job is in a whole new league.
0:18:39 > 0:18:45'It's the Enforcement Office versus one of Japan's largest companies, Fujitsu.'
0:18:46 > 0:18:50It's half past eight in the morning. We've just arrived at Stevenage.
0:18:50 > 0:18:54We've got a writ against Fujitsu Services Limited
0:18:54 > 0:19:00and the total outstanding at the moment is £149,481.
0:19:00 > 0:19:02So a vast amount of money.
0:19:02 > 0:19:07We've already driven past the building and it's a massive, massive office block.
0:19:07 > 0:19:12There's absolutely no doubt whatsoever that they've got the money to pay this
0:19:12 > 0:19:16and I would estimate they've got the assets to cover it, as well.
0:19:16 > 0:19:20'But Fujitsu is the world's third largest IT services provider
0:19:20 > 0:19:24'with over 172,000 employees worldwide.
0:19:24 > 0:19:28'Tracking down the relevant individual to deal with this writ
0:19:28 > 0:19:30'could be quite a challenge.'
0:19:30 > 0:19:33They'll have to get hold of the right people. Simple as that.
0:19:33 > 0:19:38I can't believe that an organisation as big as this wouldn't be able to get somebody to deal with this.
0:19:38 > 0:19:42And within reason, I won't be tolerating anything like that.
0:19:42 > 0:19:46I won't be tolerating excuses for, "Oh, we can't get the right person."
0:19:46 > 0:19:50It doesn't matter what excuses they come out with, how big their company is,
0:19:50 > 0:19:52they've got a debt and we're here to collect it.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57- Hello there.- You all right? - Yeah. I'll show you my ID.
0:19:57 > 0:20:03- We're here to execute a writ against Fujitsu Services.- Any names?
0:20:03 > 0:20:07No, we've just got Fujitsu Services, so whoever's in authority that can deal with it.
0:20:07 > 0:20:11No-one's here at the moment. About nine they normally come in.
0:20:11 > 0:20:15- They've got people on reception, though, have they?- Yeah, but we can't allow you on site
0:20:15 > 0:20:18till we get permission from them.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21All right. I understand what you're saying.
0:20:21 > 0:20:25- Your best bet is probably... Let me make a quick phone call.- Yeah.
0:20:25 > 0:20:29- Just pull up anywhere on the side so I can still let traffic in.- OK.
0:20:29 > 0:20:32Because technically, you can't stop us coming in.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35I know what you're saying and I respect your position
0:20:35 > 0:20:38and I'm happy for you to try and contact somebody who can deal with this,
0:20:38 > 0:20:41but when it comes to a point of law, you can't stop us coming in.
0:20:41 > 0:20:46I can understand all your security and the need for it with an establishment like this,
0:20:46 > 0:20:49and I'm quite happy to respect that, but I just want to...
0:20:49 > 0:20:53- Let me just make...- I just want to establish the point, OK?
0:20:54 > 0:20:59'If necessary, sheriffs can force entry to commercial premises
0:20:59 > 0:21:02'as long as they're detached from residential living quarters.
0:21:02 > 0:21:07'But for the time being, they decide to park around the corner and wait.
0:21:08 > 0:21:13'But as usual, there's a bit of an issue with the sat-nav.
0:21:13 > 0:21:15'Corners can be hard to find.'
0:21:15 > 0:21:18"At the end of the road, turn right."
0:21:18 > 0:21:22- Turn right? There's no entry. - They're getting relegated soon.
0:21:22 > 0:21:27- My ten-year-old one's going to be... - It's that one. It's saying turn right.- It's not, though.
0:21:27 > 0:21:33- I mean, my internal compass said go that way, yeah. - You ignored it, though.
0:21:33 > 0:21:37'The sat-nav's brought them back to where they started from.
0:21:39 > 0:21:44'They park up and discuss the upcoming negotiations with Fujitsu.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47'Lawrence hopes the discussion won't have to be in Japanese.'
0:21:47 > 0:21:51I know a couple of bits from watching Shogun when I was child and that's about it.
0:21:51 > 0:21:55I don't know if that's going to stand us in good stead.
0:21:55 > 0:21:59"How are you?" and "I'm all right, thanks."
0:22:01 > 0:22:05- You don't know, "Give us £150,000"? - No, unfortunately not.
0:22:06 > 0:22:12'The boys may need to brush up on their Japanese quick. They've been approached by security.'
0:22:12 > 0:22:17- Hello.- Have you got any details of what this is about? I can't get anybody for you without details.
0:22:17 > 0:22:23- All right. What it is, it's a foreign judgement.- Right.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26Looking at the language, it appears to be German.
0:22:26 > 0:22:30And they've got a judgement for £149,000.
0:22:30 > 0:22:35With our costs, it's £149,481.93.
0:22:35 > 0:22:39'Fujitsu have clearly been caught by surprise.'
0:22:39 > 0:22:42I can't let you into the building. I'm not allowed to let you in.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45Unfortunately, you can't actually stop me.
0:22:45 > 0:22:49- I can stop you.- You can't. - At the moment, I can stop you coming into the building.- You can't.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52Whether you hear back... I'm not trying to be awkward.
0:22:52 > 0:22:57- And we're not, either.- We've been very cooperative. Your security staff have asked us to wait here.
0:22:57 > 0:23:01I can understand the sensitivity of your business.
0:23:01 > 0:23:06I can't let you into the building. I'm in control of this building and I'm not allowed to let you in.
0:23:06 > 0:23:10Well, unfortunately, as an enforcement officer executing a High Court writ,
0:23:10 > 0:23:14I can force entry into a commercial premises if necessary.
0:23:14 > 0:23:18- We don't need permission. - We do not need permission to enter your building.
0:23:18 > 0:23:22- What I'm asking for is the...- What are you entering the building for?
0:23:22 > 0:23:26- To seize goods.- To seize assets. - We're here to seize goods.
0:23:26 > 0:23:29We're ordered... I can show you a copy of the writ.
0:23:29 > 0:23:33- Do we not get... Has anybody had prior notice of this?- No.- No.
0:23:33 > 0:23:38Because there is a judgement, someone within your company will know about the judgement.
0:23:38 > 0:23:40And the fact that it's gone unpaid...
0:23:42 > 0:23:47..means that the claimant is allowed to get it enforced at any time.
0:23:47 > 0:23:51- Can I just ring the bosses back? - Yeah. I'm happy to show you the writ.
0:23:51 > 0:23:55If you want to look at that bit there, it actually orders us,
0:23:55 > 0:23:57"You are now commanded to seize in execution
0:23:57 > 0:24:02"the goods, chattels or other property of Fujitsu Siemens Limited."
0:24:02 > 0:24:08OK? So that is what entitles us to enter your buildings and seize assets.
0:24:08 > 0:24:13- Let me just go and ring them back. - We'll come back to you in a second. - Yep.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16'Lawrence can see it from Fujitsu's point of view.'
0:24:16 > 0:24:21I would imagine the lady herself has got absolutely no experience of a High Court writ before.
0:24:21 > 0:24:25So she is unaware of our powers.
0:24:25 > 0:24:30That's why I'm trying to remain courteous about this,
0:24:30 > 0:24:35but you've got to tell people where they stand and we will be entering that building.
0:24:35 > 0:24:40There is no question about it, we will be entering that building and we will be seizing assets
0:24:40 > 0:24:43because that is what we are commanded to come here and do.
0:24:43 > 0:24:47All we're asking for is the common courtesy not to be left sitting on the street.
0:24:47 > 0:24:51That's an appalling way to conduct business, sitting on the street.
0:24:51 > 0:24:56'Fujitsu need to beware. Lawrence rarely gets angry.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58'But when he does, it's not a pretty sight.'
0:24:58 > 0:25:01It's discourteous and disrespectful, isn't it?
0:25:02 > 0:25:05They're not respecting of our position,
0:25:05 > 0:25:12so we're getting to the point where we're going to have to be a little more forceful.
0:25:12 > 0:25:15'If the sheriffs aren't allowed in soon,
0:25:15 > 0:25:18'Lawrence will park up, walk straight into the building
0:25:18 > 0:25:21'and start listing property for removal.
0:25:21 > 0:25:23'Things could turn nasty.
0:25:30 > 0:25:35'65-year-old Paul Gravette is a retired shop assistant who lives in York.
0:25:35 > 0:25:37'He needs the help of the sheriffs
0:25:37 > 0:25:41'because he won a personal injury case against a pub but it hasn't paid up.
0:25:41 > 0:25:45'The story starts in winter 2009.
0:25:45 > 0:25:49'Paul was going for his regular Sunday lunch appointment with some friends,
0:25:49 > 0:25:52'something he looked forward to all week.'
0:25:52 > 0:25:56Now that I've left work, I'm on my own, I live on my own, I'm not married,
0:25:56 > 0:26:01it's a bit of company for me. You know? And that's what I like.
0:26:01 > 0:26:05There's just four of us go out and it's a bit of company.
0:26:05 > 0:26:12It only lasts about a couple of hours but it's nice cos I have someone to talk to, basically.
0:26:12 > 0:26:14'That Sunday was a particularly cold day,
0:26:14 > 0:26:18'and the pub car park was covered in snow and ice.'
0:26:18 > 0:26:22I dropped my friends and my cousin off at the entrance to the pub.
0:26:24 > 0:26:29I drove the car up to the top of the car park, locked the car up...
0:26:30 > 0:26:36..walked down towards the entrance to the pub, which was over that side.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40Like that. And I slipped like that.
0:26:40 > 0:26:44This foot went first, I went over like that.
0:26:45 > 0:26:51I put my arm out to stop myself and ended up like that, on my elbow.
0:26:52 > 0:26:56It's not what I planned for a Sunday afternoon by any means, but there we are.
0:26:56 > 0:27:00'Paul realised instantly he was badly hurt.'
0:27:00 > 0:27:02The pain was horrendous.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05We had our dinner and how I drove my car home I just don't know.
0:27:05 > 0:27:11'When he got home, Paul was in agony, but he tried to grin and bear it.'
0:27:11 > 0:27:14The pain, as the day wore on and the night wore on,
0:27:14 > 0:27:19it just got worse and worse until it was unbearable.
0:27:19 > 0:27:23And I had to go to hospital with it because I couldn't stand the pain much longer.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27'Paul was in hospital for five and a half hours.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30'An X-ray revealed his left arm was broken.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33'He was off work for three weeks,
0:27:33 > 0:27:37'but realised the situation could have been so much worse.'
0:27:37 > 0:27:44What was worrying me was that if an elderly person walked down that hill towards the pub
0:27:44 > 0:27:48and slipped and banged their head, they could've killed themselves.
0:27:48 > 0:27:50That's what was bothering me.
0:27:51 > 0:27:55'Paul felt something had to be done so lessons could be learnt.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58'And three years on, he feels just as strongly.'
0:27:58 > 0:28:04If they'd have put salt down or sand down or even a warning sign saying,
0:28:04 > 0:28:11"Please be careful, car park very dangerous because of ice and snow,"
0:28:11 > 0:28:14then people would've known, but there was nothing down at all.
0:28:14 > 0:28:18They didn't put any salt down or sand down or anything.
0:28:18 > 0:28:22'Paul took the pub to the county court and claimed for damages.
0:28:22 > 0:28:27'He won his personal injury claim and was awarded £4,000.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30'But that wasn't the end of the story.'
0:28:30 > 0:28:36So far, after two years of trying to get compensation for my injury,
0:28:36 > 0:28:41the Swan Hotel has not paid a single penny in compensation
0:28:41 > 0:28:45no matter how hard my solicitor has tried to help me.
0:28:47 > 0:28:50'With nowhere else to turn, Paul went to the High Court
0:28:50 > 0:28:53'and got a writ for the money he was owed.
0:28:53 > 0:28:57'He contacted the Enforcement Office in Croydon and asked them to execute it.
0:29:00 > 0:29:06'And now sheriff Pete Spencer has been dispatched to the pub in Aberford, Leeds.
0:29:06 > 0:29:11'His aim, to get Paul his money or seize goods to auction to raise the cash.'
0:29:13 > 0:29:18Hiya. Afternoon. I'm just looking for someone to speak to at the Swan Hotel.
0:29:18 > 0:29:21OK, I'll just get the manager for you. Who's asking?
0:29:21 > 0:29:25- I'm an enforcement officer from the High Court.- OK.- Thanks.
0:29:27 > 0:29:29'Because of court costs and interest,
0:29:29 > 0:29:33'the total owed is now £10,683.'
0:29:38 > 0:29:42Hiya. Are you OK? You OK to speak in here or is there somewhere private we can go?
0:29:45 > 0:29:47Cheers. Thank you.
0:29:47 > 0:29:51I'm an enforcement officer enforcing a High Court writ.
0:29:51 > 0:29:56- It's regarding Swan Hotel Aberford Limited.- Right.
0:29:56 > 0:30:00The claimant's a Mr Paul Gravette.
0:30:00 > 0:30:03'The employee has nothing to do with this case.
0:30:03 > 0:30:08'She tells Pete he needs to speak to the owner, Mr White. But he's not in.'
0:30:08 > 0:30:12- The only thing I can do is to get him on his mobi. - Please. Yes, if you can.
0:30:12 > 0:30:17What I'll do in the meantime, I've got to levy items on the premises, so we're going to start levying items.
0:30:17 > 0:30:21- All right. - But if you can get him on...- Sorry. - I'm just going to list the items.
0:30:21 > 0:30:24- It's the first time I've come across this.- OK. No problem.
0:30:24 > 0:30:28- So you're going to price them? - We're going to do the list of items.
0:30:28 > 0:30:31- It's just to protect the outstanding debt...- All right.
0:30:31 > 0:30:35..if we have to go to remove or anything like that. I'll do it as discretely as I can.
0:30:35 > 0:30:40- I know you've got customers in there. - That's what I thought, yeah.
0:30:42 > 0:30:48'And it's not only customers who will be watching Pete listing property to remove to pay the debt.'
0:30:52 > 0:30:56As you can see, there's quite a few items on the wall,
0:30:56 > 0:31:00stuffed animals, stag heads, which we've got down,
0:31:00 > 0:31:05but you write one down then turn around and there's another two looking at you.
0:31:05 > 0:31:10'But Pete isn't going to look a gift horse or stuffed fox in the mouth.'
0:31:10 > 0:31:13I've levied two stuffed foxes.
0:31:13 > 0:31:18I've just turned round now, there's a third stuffed fox looking at me from the rear over there
0:31:18 > 0:31:23so I'll just have to add that as an extra stuffed animal. I think they would sell well at auction.
0:31:23 > 0:31:28There's good value to stuffed items like that and I believe they're quite saleable.
0:31:29 > 0:31:35'High Court enforcement officers are allowed to go wherever they want in commercial premises.'
0:31:36 > 0:31:39I'm just making a list of those items as we go round.
0:31:39 > 0:31:42Just items that are of any value, really.
0:31:42 > 0:31:46Tables, chairs, display cabinets and anything else.
0:31:47 > 0:31:50I need to count those down there.
0:31:50 > 0:31:52Two, four, six, eight, ten.
0:31:52 > 0:31:5514, 16, 18.
0:31:55 > 0:32:00'This could be one of the most diverse inventories of Pete's career.
0:32:04 > 0:32:07'Word has reached the owner about what's going on.
0:32:07 > 0:32:11'He's phoned the pub and asked to speak to Pete urgently.'
0:32:11 > 0:32:16Right, if you're going to pay by card, it's got to be chip and pin actually with you present.
0:32:16 > 0:32:21We have got a card machine but obviously we wouldn't be able to do that over the phone.
0:32:21 > 0:32:28But you can make an offer to pay over three monthly instalments.
0:32:30 > 0:32:34Yes. That has to go to the claimant and payments have to come through ourselves
0:32:34 > 0:32:36but you put that in writing to our office
0:32:36 > 0:32:39then we ask the claimant if that's acceptable or not.
0:32:39 > 0:32:42The paperwork I'm going to leave on site at the moment.
0:32:42 > 0:32:47I just need to ring our office to make sure they're happy that I've levied all the items.
0:32:47 > 0:32:49Obviously, do a walking possession agreement
0:32:49 > 0:32:51that if you do fail on the payments,
0:32:51 > 0:32:55we do come back to remove items to cover the outstanding debt.
0:32:55 > 0:32:58That's fine. OK. Thank you. Thanks. Bye-bye.
0:32:58 > 0:33:04'It looks like Pete may have succeeded in getting Paul Gravette his personal injury money.'
0:33:04 > 0:33:10He's going to put it into writing that he's going to offer three monthly payments to cover the total.
0:33:10 > 0:33:12That's a good result, I think.
0:33:12 > 0:33:16And ultimately he is aware that if he doesn't keep to the offer that he's made,
0:33:16 > 0:33:21if it's accepted, that items... We come back and remove items.
0:33:21 > 0:33:25'Before he leaves, Pete hands over a walking possession agreement,
0:33:25 > 0:33:29'which means any second visit could be less amicable than this one.'
0:33:29 > 0:33:33If the payment terms don't actually get paid,
0:33:33 > 0:33:36we've got the right to come back, whether you're here or not,
0:33:36 > 0:33:39to remove items to the value of the outstanding debt.
0:33:39 > 0:33:44- Hopefully, we won't be back. - All right. - OK. Cheers. Thank you. Bye-bye.
0:33:45 > 0:33:50'Sheriffs have been known to remove ships, sheep and even shellfish on their travels.
0:33:50 > 0:33:54'But it seems like the Swan's stuffed stags are safe. For now.
0:34:01 > 0:34:07'Back in Stevenage, Lawrence and Kev have been waiting outside the Fujitsu HQ for over half an hour.
0:34:07 > 0:34:10'Lawrence decides to raise the stakes.'
0:34:16 > 0:34:19I'm not letting you in!
0:34:19 > 0:34:23I'll just show them that I'm not going to try and tailgate them through.
0:34:28 > 0:34:30- All right? - Have you come down to see us?
0:34:30 > 0:34:32- Sorry? - Have you come down to see us?
0:34:32 > 0:34:35- No, I've only just got here. - Oh, right.
0:34:35 > 0:34:40- What we're trying to do is, because we didn't know anything about... - So you have come to see us.
0:34:40 > 0:34:45No, no, no. I just said I've just come out to tell you that we're just finding out what...
0:34:45 > 0:34:48So you've come out to speak to us. That's what I'm trying to establish.
0:34:48 > 0:34:53You're not just somebody walking past, you've come here to speak to us, to tell us something.
0:34:53 > 0:34:58I'm not trying to be awkward, but I asked you if you'd come to speak to us and you said no.
0:34:58 > 0:35:01- Well...- So you've got a message for us. Somebody's...
0:35:01 > 0:35:05- No. Obviously you want to come in, do you? I don't know...- Yeah.
0:35:05 > 0:35:09To be honest, I don't think we've been treated
0:35:09 > 0:35:12particularly professionally or courteously so far.
0:35:12 > 0:35:16- We've done the utmost to be professional and respectful to your situation here.- OK.
0:35:16 > 0:35:21We're not looking to come storming round the place to see all your latest technology.
0:35:21 > 0:35:25That's not what we're here for. We're here to execute a High Court writ
0:35:25 > 0:35:28and what we're asking is to be treated in a courteous manner.
0:35:28 > 0:35:32- It's who it's got to go to. - But we're sat out on the road though.
0:35:32 > 0:35:35We're quite happy to sit in reception while you do that.
0:35:35 > 0:35:39I wasn't trying to tailgate that vehicle through or anything like that.
0:35:39 > 0:35:43You know, we have the right to enter, if you don't allow me to enter,
0:35:43 > 0:35:46I'm going to park my vehicle here and go in on foot.
0:35:46 > 0:35:49And if anybody tries to stop me, I will call the police,
0:35:49 > 0:35:54because it's an arrestable offence to obstruct an enforcement officer in the execution of a writ.
0:35:54 > 0:35:58We don't want to go down that road, we just want to be treated with some courtesy.
0:35:58 > 0:36:01Can I just say, some of us have just got here,
0:36:01 > 0:36:05- we didn't know you were coming so... - No, I can appreciate that.
0:36:05 > 0:36:08If you give me a couple of minutes, if you just pull up to...
0:36:08 > 0:36:11- Yeah. Yeah.- Give me a couple of minutes, I'll come back and see you.
0:36:11 > 0:36:15But with respect, that's what the lady said about 20 minutes ago.
0:36:15 > 0:36:19- She's on the phone in there. - Give me a couple of minutes and I'll come back to you.- OK, sir.
0:36:19 > 0:36:23'This time a couple of minutes is just that.
0:36:23 > 0:36:28'Lawrence gets a call from Fujitsu management asking for more information about the writ.'
0:36:28 > 0:36:32It looks to be German, I believe. GMBH.
0:36:32 > 0:36:39It was a judgement initially of £117,122.64,
0:36:39 > 0:36:44which with execution costs, interest, judgement costs,
0:36:44 > 0:36:47and our fees for attending today and VAT,
0:36:47 > 0:36:53the total outstanding is £149,481.93.
0:36:53 > 0:36:58We have every right to enter the premises by force if necessary.
0:36:58 > 0:37:01And, you know, we don't want to have to do that.
0:37:09 > 0:37:11OK. Thank you.
0:37:11 > 0:37:13'Finally, things seem to be happening.
0:37:13 > 0:37:17'Lawrence's firm but fair approach pays off.'
0:37:17 > 0:37:20That was the manager of the site.
0:37:20 > 0:37:23- He's the overall head honcho here, I believe.- Yeah?- Yeah.
0:37:23 > 0:37:25He didn't know.
0:37:25 > 0:37:29He's going to allow one of us, I believe, into reception.
0:37:29 > 0:37:31So we're winning.
0:37:32 > 0:37:35I don't know how long till we get to a situation where we resolve it,
0:37:35 > 0:37:39- but we'll take you to reception. - Yeah, sure.- We'll get you a coffee.
0:37:39 > 0:37:42Can you just turn down the left there?
0:37:42 > 0:37:44- Just down here, yeah?- Yeah.
0:37:44 > 0:37:48'So Lawrence not only gets a comfy seat, he also gets a coffee.
0:37:48 > 0:37:51'But will he get any money?
0:37:55 > 0:37:57'An hour later, Lawrence emerges.
0:37:57 > 0:38:01'It's been an intriguing negotiation.'
0:38:01 > 0:38:06They got their head of legal on the phone, who didn't quite understand the situation.
0:38:06 > 0:38:10He thought we couldn't force an entry into a building. He actually said,
0:38:10 > 0:38:14"You're not getting in our building today," I said, "I'm already in."
0:38:14 > 0:38:18They were unaware of the debt, where it's come from, what it's all about.
0:38:18 > 0:38:20So I've basically given them copies of the paperwork,
0:38:20 > 0:38:24he was quite insistent that they weren't going to pay today.
0:38:24 > 0:38:28We can't turn people upside down, shake them and make money fall out of their pockets.
0:38:28 > 0:38:32We're there to seize goods, and if necessary, remove them.
0:38:32 > 0:38:35He was saying he needed time to sort that out.
0:38:35 > 0:38:38They were going to go to the High Court and attempt to get an injunction
0:38:38 > 0:38:43to stop us removing goods, which is just a waste of everybody's time.
0:38:43 > 0:38:46They're a massive company. They're not going to run away.
0:38:46 > 0:38:50If they owe the money, they will pay. I've absolutely no doubt about that.
0:38:50 > 0:38:53They need time to look into it, so what I've done today,
0:38:53 > 0:38:58I've taken walking possession, so I've basically seized the entire contents of the building,
0:38:58 > 0:39:01or as much of it as need be to cover the debt.
0:39:01 > 0:39:05If it doesn't get paid or resolved in a satisfactory manner,
0:39:05 > 0:39:08then we will be back, and if necessary, we will remove goods.
0:39:10 > 0:39:14'Walking possession means the sheriffs can list, or seize, property
0:39:14 > 0:39:17'for removal at a later date if the debt isn't paid.
0:39:17 > 0:39:21'They don't need to physically remove goods there and then.
0:39:21 > 0:39:24'Usually this does the trick in getting debtors to pay up.'
0:39:24 > 0:39:27If we believe the goods are in jeopardy,
0:39:27 > 0:39:31we will insist on removal there and then, if we're not getting payment,
0:39:31 > 0:39:35but the goods aren't in jeopardy here, it's a huge building, a huge company,
0:39:35 > 0:39:40they're not going to make all their assets from this building disappear.
0:39:40 > 0:39:43So we were quite safe in taking walking possession.
0:39:43 > 0:39:47'Lawrence isn't leaving with £150,000 in cash,
0:39:47 > 0:39:51'but he's still satisfied with the way things have turned out.'
0:39:51 > 0:39:53They were perfectly civil once we got in there.
0:39:53 > 0:39:57I spoke to their solicitor and we've got the outcome we've got.
0:39:59 > 0:40:02'And Lawrence sticking by his guns clearly did the trick.
0:40:02 > 0:40:07'Soon after his visit, the firm owed the money by Fujitsu got its cash.
0:40:08 > 0:40:13'Fujitsu told us that the payment delay was a genuine oversight on its part
0:40:13 > 0:40:17'and it took immediate steps which rectified the situation.
0:40:24 > 0:40:28'It's now two months since Lawrence and Kev paid the auction house a visit.
0:40:28 > 0:40:35'In her nursing home, Beryl has now received the £1,503 she was owed.
0:40:38 > 0:40:45'The debt owed by Mr Everett the plumber stands at £4,000 because of court costs and interest.
0:40:46 > 0:40:49'The £50 per month repayments ordered by the judge
0:40:49 > 0:40:52'are being monitored by the enforcement office.
0:40:52 > 0:40:56'If any are missed, Mr Everett will be getting another visit.
0:40:59 > 0:41:03'And it's now two months since Pete visited the pub in Leeds
0:41:03 > 0:41:08'on behalf of 65-year-old Paul Gravette, who slipped on ice in the car park.
0:41:08 > 0:41:11'Paul's got the first instalment of the personal injury money he's owed.
0:41:11 > 0:41:15'And thanks to the enforcement office, he will soon be getting the rest.'
0:41:15 > 0:41:18I am delighted with this outcome.
0:41:18 > 0:41:23I'm very grateful to these enforcement officers who have done all this for me.
0:41:23 > 0:41:25It was never a question of money.
0:41:25 > 0:41:30It was a question of principle and just to prove the hotel wrong
0:41:30 > 0:41:36in not having proper facilities for ice and snow.
0:41:39 > 0:41:41'Next time...
0:41:42 > 0:41:49'..a builder made 86-year-old Hilda Shaw fork out £4,000 for some work on her roof.
0:41:49 > 0:41:52'And he left it in a worse state than when he started.'
0:41:52 > 0:41:56I was absolutely shattered. I was crying, I couldn't leave off
0:41:56 > 0:42:01cos I realised the mess I was getting into and I couldn't say stop.
0:42:01 > 0:42:06'The sheriffs pay the builder an early morning visit to try and get Hilda's money back.
0:42:06 > 0:42:09'And things get rather heated.'
0:42:09 > 0:42:12I will back that truck straight through your windscreen.
0:42:12 > 0:42:15'The sheriffs try to track down a landlord
0:42:15 > 0:42:18'who didn't pay his student tenants their deposits when they left.
0:42:18 > 0:42:21'But he proves elusive.'
0:42:21 > 0:42:27He doesn't want to deal with it over the phone, he's telling me to come to an address he doesn't seem sure of.
0:42:28 > 0:42:31'And office manager Joan Wales was unfairly dismissed.
0:42:31 > 0:42:36'She was awarded compensation but her ex-bosses didn't pay up.
0:42:36 > 0:42:38'Can the sheriffs help?'
0:42:38 > 0:42:42They just thought I'd walk away and I wouldn't fight for this.
0:42:42 > 0:42:46But I do fight and I am fighting because it's wrong.
0:42:47 > 0:42:52Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd