Neighbour of cricket legend's son faces £500k bill over 'blackmail' bid

A NEIGHBOUR who waged a campaign of harassment and "blackmail" against a son of England cricket legend Colin Cowdrey ruining the sale of his £3.85million home - is facing a £500,000 bill after losing in court.

- BY PAUL KEOGH

Film producer Jeremy Cowdrey, 65, whose dad skippered England, sued neighbour Vanessa Gibson over "lies" which he said made his 10-acre country house in Goudhurst, Kent, unsellable.

Their dispute began with her purchase of a strip of land, which bizarrely meant she owned part of Mr Cowdrey's tennis court, and escalated into what a judge found was an attempt to "blackmail" him and extract "unreasonable sums" to enable the sale.

Terrorised

The case reached Central London County Court in July when Judge Jane Evans-Gordon found for Mr Cowdrey, branding his neighbour "unreasonable and oppressive".