Builders looted my shop after London riots, claims pawnbroker seeking £800k

“Destroyed”: Stephen Moore’s shop Paradise Gems, in Tottenham, was gutted by fire in the 2011 riots
STEPHANIE SCHAERER

A pawnbroker whose shop was destroyed by fire in the 2011 London riots is suing the building firm brought in to clear the property, claiming its workmen looted six safes filled with valuables.

Stephen Moore, 63, owner of Paradise Gems in Tottenham High Road, is seeking £800,000 in compensation from Squibb Group Ltd, arguing the demolition company is liable for the alleged actions of its employees.

He claims 12 of his safes were left intact in the rubble when his business was burnt to the ground by vandals during the disorder. But Mr Moore says workmen cracked open two of them and made off with another four entirely.

When Prince Charles visited Tottenham after the riots, Mr Moore told him how he was struggling to get his family business back on its feet.

Outlining the case, judge Karen Steyn QC told the High Court: “The claimant’s case is that, during the demolition work, employees of the defendant stole four of the 12 safes held on the premises and broke open two others, stealing their contents.

“The defendant company is alleged to be vicariously liable for the alleged acts of its employees.

Stephen Moore

“The defendant denies that its employees stole the missing safes or broke open the damaged safes and stole the contents.”

The court was told that Paradise Gems had been in business for more than 20 years before it was destroyed by fire on the first night of four days of unrest in August 2011, when violence and looting broke out across London. Mr Moore claims at least one of the safes that was raided showed evidence of burning on the outside but not inside, suggesting it was opened after the fire had been extinguished.

He also believes CCTV footage showing a cabinet in a JCB excavator was probably one of his metal safes.

The Paradise Gems store

“My reputation on this high road is destroyed now completely, along with my pension and everything else,” Mr Moore said in the aftermath of the riots. He subsequently received support from an aide to Charles, who put him in touch with the prince’s charity Business in the Community for support. His business is still in operation, although not in the same location.

Squibb, based in Essex, denies any liability for loss of goods and points to the possibility that the safes were opened or removed by rioters. It says tools could have been brought by the vandals to damage the safes and disputes the claim that the cabinet in the JCB was a safe.

The compensation claim will be decided after a full hearing of the case next month.

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