Father and Son Hit with £20,000 Court Bill After Leaving Family Laundry on £2M Flat's Patio

A FATHER and son have been sued after their family’s washing was left to dry on the patio of a music teacher’s £2million London flat.

The pair have been left with a £20,000 court bill over trespassing and harassment claims.

The Camden garden flat at the centre of the washing dispute Credit: Supplied by Champion News Derek Larkins and his son Robin Larkins were left with a £20,000 court bill Credit: Champion News

Musician Jodie Schloss accused Robin and Derek Larkins of a campaign of harassment and trespass in a ‘ row over access to a garden passageway.

The passage is part of Ms Schloss’ home, but for many years she had allowed other residents in the five-storey Victorian villa in Strathray Gardens, – where flats often change hands for over £2m – to use it to get to the garden.

But after changing her mind and barring access, Ms Schloss found herself locked in a bitter dispute with her neighbour Robin and his elderly dad, Derek, who has long worked as gardener and general maintenance man at the house.

Ms Schloss claimed that the gate to the passageway, which passes her front door, had twice been forced, with the lock being changed on one occasion behind her back.

Schloss claimed her private pathway gate had been forced on multiple occasions Credit: Supplied by Champion News The musician accused the two of a campaign of harassment and trespass Credit: Supplied by Champion News

And her fury reached new heights after Robin Larkins’ family’s washing was left to dry on her own private patio at the rear of the house.

She sued for an injunction to prevent any further incursions and, despite both men agreeing not to set foot on her passageway again, the father and son were handed a £20,000 bill for the court case.

Judge Stephen Hellman, sitting at Mayor’s and City County Court, said the fact that the gate had been twice forced by Derek Larkins, with his son present once, meant a punishing costs bill was appropriate.

The court heard that Ms Schloss and Robin Larkins each have garden flats at the substantial detached villa in the affluent north London street.

Each has a right to use the garden, with Robin Larkins accessing it directly via his back door, while Ms Schloss could also get there from her property.

For 30 years, residents of other flats in the house have also been able to use the garden, accessing it via the passageway alongside Ms Schloss’ flat, to which she had provided keys, the court was told.

However, a bitter neighbours’ battle erupted last August when she changed her mind – amid “justified privacy concerns” – and wrote to the others withdrawing consent.

In court, her barrister, John Clargo, said Ms Schloss no longer wants people walking along the passageway as it is an “invasion of her sense of privacy,” being so close to her front door.

But, even though he can still get to the garden himself through the back door of his flat, Robin and his dad complained that access for other residents to the garden had been blocked.

What followed was a campaign of “trespass and harassment” by the pair, the barrister said.

“On 1 September 2025, Derek Larkins insisted he had a right to use the passageway and Robin Larkins threatened to rip the gate out,” he told the judge.

“Later on 1 September 2025, she overheard two men in the passageway discussing whether she was out and, on the morning of 2 September, she found the lock in the gate damaged.

“She felt vulnerable and left her flat. When returning to collect belongings on 6 September 2025, she found further damage to the lock and infers from CCTV footage that it was done by Robin Larkins.

“On being told by telephone that Robin and Derek Larkins and another were in the passage, she telephoned the . She was persuaded to give Robin Larkins a key, but, on viewing further CCTV footage showing his father using a crowbar, decided not to.

“On 2 October 2025, Robin Larkins changed the lock on the gate and failed to provide a key, despite being asked to by Ms Schloss’ solicitor.

“Ms Schloss, not having been provided with keys, changed the locks back. On 22 March 2026, Derek Larkins forced the lock and they used the passage multiple times on that date and on 24 March 2026.

“On 9 April 2026, Robin Larkins’ family’s washing was hung on Ms Schloss’ patio.”

Asking for an injunction to prevent any trespass, Mr Clargo branded the two men’s behaviour “unreasonable,” saying it was clear that Ms Schloss is in the right about the passage and that no other tenants, other than Robin Larkins, have rights to access the garden.

Representing himself in court, Mr Larkins insisted that they did what they did because they wanted to protect their other neighbours’ access to the garden.

“This whole claim doesn’t really affect me because I do have direct access from my flat into the garden,” he told the judge.

“The main issue is the leaseholders in the building, who for 30 years have used this communal space via the side passage.

“For 30 years, everybody has had access to the communal garden.

“People have had in their service charges maintenance for the garden. Everyone in the building has contributed and everyone has had access to the garden.

“The passage is the only way [for the other residents] to have access to the back garden.

“I’m here today because I believe the leaseholders in the building have a right to use the communal garden.”

When told that their behaviour in the dispute could be considered “unreasonable,” Robin Larkins responded: “My behaviour was only because we believe we were in the right and that all the people in the building should have access to the garden.

“There’s no maliciousness in it.”

Regarding the washing left on Ms Schloss’ patio, he said his cleaner had hung it there without realising and been told not to do it again.

However, Mr Clargo said the evidence showed that the other residents of the house do not have a right to use the garden, or Ms Schloss’ passageway.

And while Robin Larkins has “a non-exclusive right to use the garden,” he has no need, nor entitlement, to use Ms Schloss’ passageway to get to it, he continued.

After a three-hour hearing, Judge Hellman accepted father and son’s legally binding undertakings not to enter her patio or passageway again, pending a full trial of the issues at a later date.

“I can understand how the letter from Ms Schloss must have come as a shock,” he said.

“It’s a sad fact that, other than the passage, for most of the other tenants there’s no way to access the garden.

“The defendants’ position is firstly that they were seeking to preserve what they understood to be the right of tenants.

“Secondly, Derek has been a gardener and general maintenance man for the property for many years and that includes access to manholes in the passage, and he uses the passage for getting into and out of the garden.”

He went on to find that the two men should pay Ms Schloss’ lawyers’ , partly due to their conduct in Derek Larkins forcing the gate, with his son present.

Having agreed to undertakings in court, Robin and Derek Larkins are now legally bound not to set foot on Ms Schloss’ patio or passageway without permission.

The case will return to court for a full trial at a later date, unless the parties agree to settle first.

Telling them there is a “very strong case” that Ms Schloss is right about use of the passageway, the judge warned the men of even larger “eye-watering” court bills if they fight on and lose.