Landlord chased houseboat tenant with a roofer’s tool

A houseboat tycoon chased a tenant with a roofer’s tool shouting: ‘I’ll break your head,’ a court heard.

Myck Djuberg, 60, was in dispute with Klaus Beversluis, 52, over the rental at the Hampton Riviera Boat Yard in Richmond.

Mr Beversluis told Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court he had rented mooring space for five years before Djuberg ‘sprung’ additional and unwarranted charges.

The IT consultant told the court: ‘I basically said we would vacate the premises if he had refunded everything we had pre-paid.

‘I offered to vacate immediately, he said no and started trying to evict us.

‘He tried to get another £5,500 out of us by charging extra service charges which were not due at all.

‘I decided to go to the office to speak to Mr Djuberg and re-affirm the email I sent previously that we would vacate if he refunded our pre-paid moorings.

‘My partner Natasha Knight suggested I take a witness with me to see Mr Djuberg to corroborate the dialogue we were about to have, but I have a clip-on body camera.

‘When I went to the office I knocked then entered and said ‘hello mate’. He was sat at his desk.

‘The second I came in he leapt up from behind his desk and almost ran towards me. He shouted ‘get out of here, get out of here’ at me.

‘I said ‘I’m not getting out’ because I wanted clarify the matter.

‘He came up towards me and grabbed what was near him which was some heavy-duty orange and khaki gardening gloves.

‘He raised them towards me and hit me at the back of my head. I have bruise as I was turning to get out of the way.

‘He raised the gloves above his left shoulder. As I was moving away he swung at me with a backhand, he hit me across the back of his head. It was as hard as he could hit me.’

The body-worn footage, shown to the court, shows the defendant’s friend Mattas Sultan Djuberg appear as the witness is chased out of the office.

‘He said ‘Matt, Matt come and help me’. He came towards me and I said ‘Matt stay out of it’ and he said don’t worry I will, but he was coming behind me.

James Tucker, prosecuting, said Mr Beversluis was ‘chased out by Mr Djuberg who had picked up a lead dresser and chased him out shouting: ”I’ll break you f****** head.”

The dresser was passed around court and as Magistrate Mandy Lamplough held it with a paper tissue, the witness said: ‘It’s certainly heavy enough to give someone a skulling.

‘He had it raised, he said he would break my f****** head and I had no doubt that he was prepared to use it on my head and do me serious damage.

‘I felt absolutely terrified I ran away as quickly as I could.

‘It has affected my confidence somewhat, it shook me up tremendously I had medical advice for increasing my anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medication.

‘There was no need to hit me or pick up a deadly weapon in my view and threatened to break my head.

‘I did not show any signs of aggression towards him.’

Ms Lamplough said: ‘We find is there was no aggressive action from the complainant.

‘Mr Beversluis simply entered the Riviera Marina office, barely had he entered when there was a physical response from Mr Djuberg who jumped up and moved towards him.

‘In the footage we clearly see Mr Djuberg raising his arm and the still photo shows the orange glove in his hand. We later see Mr Djuberg armed with the led dresser the roofing tool chasing and threatening the complainant.

‘The threats of breaking his f****** head were clearly heard on the video.

‘We do not find that Mr Djuberg acted in self defence. He has not come to court or given any evidence today.

‘We therefore find Myck Djuberg guilty of assault by beating and using threatening words and behaviour with the intent to cause fear or provoke unlawful violence.

‘We are issuing a warrant not with bail.’

Kieran Galvi, defending said ‘It’s plain there was very bad feelings.

‘It was plain he didn’t want this man in his private office. Mr Djuberg took steps to remove him for his own safety which he’s allowed to do when someone is trespassing in his own office.

‘What he did was proportionate. I say the witness has played down the background of all this.’

Djuberg, of The Chalet, Hampton Court Riviera, Hampton Court Road, Molesey, Surrey, denied but was convicted of assault by beating and using threatening words and behaviour with the intent to cause fear or provoke unlawful violence.

He did not appear at court and a warrant is out for his arrest.
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