Nicholas van Hoogstraten
Encyclopedia
Nicholas van Hoogstraten (born Nicholas Marcel Hoogstraten on 25 February 1945) is a British
businessman and real estate magnate. van Hoogstraten is known for his business empire as well as his controversial life story: In 1968, he was convicted, and sent to prison, for paying a gang to attack a business associate. In 2002, he was sentenced to 10 years for the manslaughter
of a business rival. The verdict was overturned on appeal and he was subsequently released, but in 2005 he was ordered to pay the victim's family £6 million in a civil case.
He has been estimated to be worth £500 million, though he has stated that his assets in the UK have all been placed in the names of his children. His assets in property and farming in Zimbabwe
alone are estimated to be worth over £200 million.
, West Sussex
, the working-class son of a shipping agent. His mother was of German and English
heritage, his father was of Dutch
and French
heritage. He was educated at a local Jesuit
school, but is also known to have attended Blessed Robert Southwell Catholic School in Goring-by-Sea, now known as Chatsmore Catholic High School
. He left school in 1962 (aged 17) and joined the merchant navy for a year. He began his property business in the Bahamas with an initial investment of £1,000 realised from the sale of his stamp collection.
He subsequently returned to Great Britain
later in the 1960s with purchases in London
and Brighton & Hove
. By 1968 (aged 23) he was Britain's youngest millionaire with a portfolio of over 300 properties, but the same year he began serving a four-year sentence in prison for paying a gang to throw a grenade
into the house of Rev Braunstein, a Jewish leader whose eldest son owed him £3,000 (adjusted for inflation the figure would be closer to £100,000 as "you could buy a house for that much"). Of the incident he has said: "It seems a bit distasteful to me now," he says, "but back then when I was young... these weren't anarchists, they were businessmen, respectable people."
He was also jailed on eight counts of handling stolen goods, and in 1972 was given a further 15 months for bribing prison officers to smuggle him luxuries. “I ran Wormwood Scrubs
when I was in there,” he has said.
By 1980 (aged 35) he owned over 2,000 properties. He later sold the majority of his housing, investing in other fields outside Britain, chiefly mining and farming interests in Nigeria
and later Zimbabwe
.
He is frequently interviewed in the Courtlands Hotel which he has "close connections with", but which is legally owned by his children.
He was fined £1,500 in 2001 for contempt of court
after telling the opposing counsel: "You dirty bastard... in due course, you are going to have it."
decided that "although he wanted Mr Raja harmed, he had not wanted him murdered". This conviction was quashed in July 2004 by Judge Sir Stephen Mitchell who agreed that "there was no foundation for a manslaughter case." On 19 December 2005 the family of Raja, in a civil action against van Hoogstraten, were awarded £6 million by Mr Justice Lightman, after the court found that the balance of probabilities was "that the recruitment of the two thugs was for the purpose of murdering Mr Raja and not merely frightening or hurting him". Van Hoogstraten is not held to be guilty of Mr Raja's murder or manslaughter under British criminal law: this requires proof beyond reasonable doubt rather than on balance of probabilities. Van Hoogstraten is alleged to have told the BBC that Mr Raja's family "will never get a penny". Van Hoogstraten explained to The Sunday Times that he had "no assets at all now in the UK," having placed those assets in the names of the five children he has fathered with a series of black African "girlfriends".
in East Sussex
since the 1980s. Construction of the neoclassical
building began in 1985 and cost around £40 million up to 2006. The enormous edifice is intended to house his collection of art (currently stored in Switzerland) and also includes his mausoleum
. Under English law, perpetual trusts are only allowed in the upkeep of monuments and graves. By using the Palace as a mausoleum, van Hoogstraten's trust would legally own the buildings and its fittings after his death. A large section of his wealth has been transferred into a Bermudian trust for the upkeep of historic monuments.
He was involved in a long-running feud with the Ramblers' Association and a legal battle with the local authority over a right of way that crosses the land around the mansion. In 1990 the paths were blocked with razor wire and discarded refrigerators.
Hamilton Palace is so named because of the property van Hoogstraten owns in the capital of Bermuda
(Hamilton
). With little on the project being constructed in recent years and substantial local opposition, the project is currently on hold after problems with contractors.
, who was then in charge of the London and Rhodesian Mining Company
.
He has been a close associate of Robert Mugabe
(whom he describes as "100 per cent decent and incorruptible"), and in 2005 announced plans to take over NMB, a major Zimbabwe
bank, though he sold his stake in the bank for over £1 million in late 2007. In 2009, it was reported he had been "a generous contributor to Mr Mugabe’s Zanu (PF) party and (had) bought into several large state-owned companies."
In January 2006 he said in an interview with The Sunday Times
that, as a result of loaning £10 million to Mugabe, "In six months’ time, when the interest is due, it would be cheaper for them to just kill me".
On 26 January 2008, he was arrested in Harare for allegedly charging rentals in US dollars rather than Zimbabwean dollars — illegal under Zimbabwean law. He was also charged with violating the Censorship Act by possessing pornography, and was held in custody for five nights but released on bail. On 3 July 2009, 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 allegedly pornographic photos without a warrant.
Mr van Hoogstraten has told an Observer reporter that he pays for the education of three children in every school in Zimbabwe: "Actually, it doesn't cost a lot of money in real terms, but I've set up things like that that will continue."
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
businessman and real estate magnate. van Hoogstraten is known for his business empire as well as his controversial life story: In 1968, he was convicted, and sent to prison, for paying a gang to attack a business associate. In 2002, he was sentenced to 10 years for the manslaughter
Manslaughter
Manslaughter is a legal term for the killing of a human being, in a manner considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is said to have first been made by the Ancient Athenian lawmaker Dracon in the 7th century BC.The law generally differentiates...
of a business rival. The verdict was overturned on appeal and he was subsequently released, but in 2005 he was ordered to pay the victim's family £6 million in a civil case.
He has been estimated to be worth £500 million, though he has stated that his assets in the UK have all been placed in the names of his children. His assets in property and farming in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
alone are estimated to be worth over £200 million.
Life
He was born Nicholas Marcel Hoogstraten in Shoreham-by-SeaShoreham-by-Sea
Shoreham-by-Sea is a small town, port and seaside resort in West Sussex, England. Shoreham-by-Sea railway station is located less than a mile from the town centre and London Gatwick Airport is away...
, West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
, the working-class son of a shipping agent. His mother was of German and English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
heritage, his father was of Dutch
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
and French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
heritage. He was educated at a local Jesuit
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
school, but is also known to have attended Blessed Robert Southwell Catholic School in Goring-by-Sea, now known as Chatsmore Catholic High School
Chatsmore Catholic High School
Chatsmore Catholic High School is an 11-16, mixed comprehensive school located in Goring By Sea, Worthing, West Sussex. The school holds specialist Arts College status.The Head Teacher is Mr Michael Madden, NPQH...
. He left school in 1962 (aged 17) and joined the merchant navy for a year. He began his property business in the Bahamas with an initial investment of £1,000 realised from the sale of his stamp collection.
He subsequently returned to Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
later in the 1960s with purchases in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Brighton & Hove
Brighton & Hove
Brighton and Hove is a unitary authority area and city on the south coast of England. It is England's most populous seaside resort.In 1997 Brighton and Hove were joined to form the unitary authority of Brighton and Hove, which was granted city status by Queen Elizabeth II as part of the millennium...
. By 1968 (aged 23) he was Britain's youngest millionaire with a portfolio of over 300 properties, but the same year he began serving a four-year sentence in prison for paying a gang to throw a grenade
Grenade
A grenade is a small explosive device that is projected a safe distance away by its user. Soldiers called grenadiers specialize in the use of grenades. The term hand grenade refers any grenade designed to be hand thrown. Grenade Launchers are firearms designed to fire explosive projectile grenades...
into the house of Rev Braunstein, a Jewish leader whose eldest son owed him £3,000 (adjusted for inflation the figure would be closer to £100,000 as "you could buy a house for that much"). Of the incident he has said: "It seems a bit distasteful to me now," he says, "but back then when I was young... these weren't anarchists, they were businessmen, respectable people."
He was also jailed on eight counts of handling stolen goods, and in 1972 was given a further 15 months for bribing prison officers to smuggle him luxuries. “I ran Wormwood Scrubs
Wormwood Scrubs (HM Prison)
HM Prison Wormwood Scrubs is a Category B men's prison, located in the Wormwood Scrubs area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, in inner west London, England. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service....
when I was in there,” he has said.
By 1980 (aged 35) he owned over 2,000 properties. He later sold the majority of his housing, investing in other fields outside Britain, chiefly mining and farming interests in Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
and later Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
.
He is frequently interviewed in the Courtlands Hotel which he has "close connections with", but which is legally owned by his children.
He was fined £1,500 in 2001 for contempt of court
Contempt of court
Contempt of court is a court order which, in the context of a court trial or hearing, declares a person or organization to have disobeyed or been disrespectful of the court's authority...
after telling the opposing counsel: "You dirty bastard... in due course, you are going to have it."
Mohammed Raja case
In July 2002, van Hoogstraten was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment for the manslaughter of Mohammed Raja, after being found not guilty of murder: a jury at the Old BaileyOld Bailey
The Central Criminal Court in England and Wales, commonly known as the Old Bailey from the street in which it stands, is a court building in central London, one of a number of buildings housing the Crown Court...
decided that "although he wanted Mr Raja harmed, he had not wanted him murdered". This conviction was quashed in July 2004 by Judge Sir Stephen Mitchell who agreed that "there was no foundation for a manslaughter case." On 19 December 2005 the family of Raja, in a civil action against van Hoogstraten, were awarded £6 million by Mr Justice Lightman, after the court found that the balance of probabilities was "that the recruitment of the two thugs was for the purpose of murdering Mr Raja and not merely frightening or hurting him". Van Hoogstraten is not held to be guilty of Mr Raja's murder or manslaughter under British criminal law: this requires proof beyond reasonable doubt rather than on balance of probabilities. Van Hoogstraten is alleged to have told the BBC that Mr Raja's family "will never get a penny". Van Hoogstraten explained to The Sunday Times that he had "no assets at all now in the UK," having placed those assets in the names of the five children he has fathered with a series of black African "girlfriends".
Hamilton Palace
He has been in the process of constructing Hamilton Palace, near UckfieldUckfield
-Development:The local Tesco has proposed the redevelopment of the central town area as has the town council. The Hub has recently been completed, having been acquired for an unknown figure, presumed to be about half a million pounds...
in East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
since the 1980s. Construction of the neoclassical
Neoclassicism
Neoclassicism is the name given to Western movements in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that draw inspiration from the "classical" art and culture of Ancient Greece or Ancient Rome...
building began in 1985 and cost around £40 million up to 2006. The enormous edifice is intended to house his collection of art (currently stored in Switzerland) and also includes his mausoleum
Mausoleum
A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or persons. A monument without the interment is a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type of tomb or the tomb may be considered to be within the...
. Under English law, perpetual trusts are only allowed in the upkeep of monuments and graves. By using the Palace as a mausoleum, van Hoogstraten's trust would legally own the buildings and its fittings after his death. A large section of his wealth has been transferred into a Bermudian trust for the upkeep of historic monuments.
He was involved in a long-running feud with the Ramblers' Association and a legal battle with the local authority over a right of way that crosses the land around the mansion. In 1990 the paths were blocked with razor wire and discarded refrigerators.
Hamilton Palace is so named because of the property van Hoogstraten owns in the capital of Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
(Hamilton
Hamilton, Bermuda
Hamilton is the capital of the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda. It is the territory's financial centre and a major port and tourist destination.-Geography:...
). With little on the project being constructed in recent years and substantial local opposition, the project is currently on hold after problems with contractors.
Links with Zimbabwe
He first bought an estate in Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia) when he was 19. At around the same time he became friends with Tiny RowlandTiny Rowland
Roland "Tiny" Rowland was a British businessman and chairman of the Lonrho conglomerate from 1962 to 1994...
, who was then in charge of the London and Rhodesian Mining Company
Lonmin
Lonmin plc , formerly Lonrho plc, is a producer of platinum group metals operating in the Bushveld Complex of South Africa. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.-History:...
.
He has been a close associate of Robert Mugabe
Robert Mugabe
Robert Gabriel Mugabe is the President of Zimbabwe. As one of the leaders of the liberation movement against white-minority rule, he was elected into power in 1980...
(whom he describes as "100 per cent decent and incorruptible"), and in 2005 announced plans to take over NMB, a major Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
bank, though he sold his stake in the bank for over £1 million in late 2007. In 2009, it was reported he had been "a generous contributor to Mr Mugabe’s Zanu (PF) party and (had) bought into several large state-owned companies."
In January 2006 he said in an interview with The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
that, as a result of loaning £10 million to Mugabe, "In six months’ time, when the interest is due, it would be cheaper for them to just kill me".
On 26 January 2008, he was arrested in Harare for allegedly charging rentals in US dollars rather than Zimbabwean dollars — illegal under Zimbabwean law. He was also charged with violating the Censorship Act by possessing pornography, and was held in custody for five nights but released on bail. On 3 July 2009, 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 allegedly pornographic photos without a warrant.
Mr van Hoogstraten has told an Observer reporter that he pays for the education of three children in every school in Zimbabwe: "Actually, it doesn't cost a lot of money in real terms, but I've set up things like that that will continue."
Public opinion
- Judges have referred to Mr van Hoogstraten as a "bully" and an "emissary of BeelzebubBeelzebubBeelzebub -Religious meaning:Ba‘al Zəbûb is variously understood to mean "lord of flies", or "lord of the dwelling". Originally the name of a Philistine god, Beelzebub is also identified in the New Testament as Satan, the "prince of the demons". In Arabic the name is retained as Ba‘al dhubaab /...
". - The 1989 Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine hit single "Sheriff FatmanSheriff Fatman"Sheriff Fatman" is a single by Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine, released in 1989, and featuring on the album 101 Damnations. The title track is probably their best-known original composition. The lyrics rail against slum landlords and their intimidatory tactics used against tenants, and...
" includes references to a fictional slum landlord described thus: "Now he's moving up onto second base... behind Nicholas Van Wotsisface" as becoming London's second worst landlord.
Further reading
- Walsh, Mike and Jordan, Don. (2003). Nicholas Van Hoogstraten - Millionaire Killer, John Blake, ISBN 0-904034-68-3
- Van Hoogstraten's life of controversy - BBC NewsBBC NewsBBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
website - BBC News Archive of news stories relating to Van Hoogstraten
- "Sheriff Fatman" lyrics
- http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=488collection of ScotsmanThe ScotsmanThe Scotsman is a British newspaper, published in Edinburgh.As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 38,423, down from about 100,000 in the 1980s....
articles relating to the civil trial of the manslaughter case]