More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
An estate agent assaulted by millionaire landlord Fergus Wilson has claimed: "He punches like a girl!"
Daniel Wells, 31, was thumped by the 65-year-old property tycoon and former boxer - who owns hundreds of homes across Kent - after a dispute over a boiler.
He said: "I think it's very sad for a man of his age to behave the way he does. As I said in court there was no damage done, it was just a silly little incident – for a man of his size who used to be a boxer he does punch like a girl!"
A court heard 22-stone Wilson stormed into the Folkestone office of agent PLS (Property Lettings and Sales) and shouted "Right you little s***", before walking to Mr Wells' desk, hitting him in the temple and knocking him off his chair.
He was found guilty of assault by beating by a district judge and fined more than £1,500.
Mr Wells said he was pleased with the verdict, but not impressed Wilson intended to appeal.
He said: "I'm pleased the judge saw through him but Wilson is appealing, which is a sad thing. It’s already been going on for more than a year and it’s probably going to be at least another six months until it's resolved.
"It's laughable really that it's gone on this long and that he's going to appeal when he knows he's guilty. I have to laugh or I'd get annoyed!"
Wilson, of Long Lane, Boughton Monchelsea, near Maidstone, admitted swearing at Mr Wells but denied hitting him, claiming the agent accidentally fell off his swivel chair.
The former maths teacher - who represented himself in court - later claimed the issue with the boiler had been quickly resolved.
He said: "The long and short of it is I did call him a little s***. I didn't bundle him out of his chair at all. I went round, probably quite quickly, and he fell out of his chair.
"He grabbed at my arm. I didn't object because I went forward so he could grab it. I then helped him up.
"I've fallen out of swivel chairs in that office twice. In the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race this year the cox fell out of his seat. It happens.
"I can't even lift my arms to put my jacket on. I can't bend over to put my socks on or tie my shoe laces."
Wilson was fined £1,500 and ordered to pay £150 in compensation to Mr Wells after a trial at Folkestone Magistrates' Court.
Wilson and wife Judith started buying properties in the early 1990s and now own almost 1,000 across Kent, mostly in Ashford, Folkestone and Maidstone.
They were listed at number 453 on The Sunday Times Rich List in 2008 when their fortune was estimated as £180 million.
In 2009, Mrs Wilson tried to claim £3,000 for a new bathroom suite from a young couple who had broken the toilet's cistern lid, but a judge threw the claim out of court.
In January, the Wilsons evicted more than 200 tenants who were on housing benefits, claiming more than half of "people on benefits were defaulting on their rent" and saying they preferred to let to eastern Europeans who were more reliable.
