Former Reform UK candidate loses court battle with Michelin star chef neighbours over complaints about dogs

Court papers show Mr Lewis has a right of way across the yard owned by his neighbours - former Michelin star restauranteurs Stephane Borie and Sarah Francis - at Castle Walk in Montgomery, with their dogs allowed to freely roam in the yard.

The documents state that Mr Lewis sent the couple legal letters and text messages, complaining about the "way in which the two dogs behaved in the yard", but added that he had not contacted the local authority about the matter.

The aspiring politician, who stood to become Reform MP for Montgomeryshire & Glyndwr in last year's general election, then took the pair to court over the issue.

He said the dogs “should not be allowed to roam freely in the yard" and argued the situation put his relatives in fear, with his aged mother “not able to cross the yard”.

A hearing took place in Welshpool in November 2023, with the judge ruling against Mr Lewis and criticising the evidence he put forward.

He described Mr Lewis, who represented himself in the case, as an "irritated neighbour" and said the evidence was "so weak and undermined that it was insufficient to prove a nuisance to the criminal standard of proof".

He added that "the evidence in this case did not meet that evidential standard," and continued "the applicant, whilst polite and courteous, was nonetheless unable to see or accept that his case was too weak to succeed."

During the hearing a veterinary expert witness giving evidence on the respondents' behalf said “the dogs were not defending their territory”.

The case was ultimately thrown out following an application by Mr Borie and Ms Francis' solicitor.

Subsequently Mr Lewis was ordered to pay the costs of both Mr Borie and Ms Francis - totalling £10,123.20.

But the former Reform UK candidate successfully appealed the costs order to the High Court.

A ruling handed down by Mr Justice Kerr this month said that the costs order should be set aside, and Mr Lewis should not be responsible for having to pay.

He said that ordering people to pay in such circumstances would have a "chilling effect" on the public's ability to launch private prosecutions over a perceived nuisance.

Explaining his decision, the judge said one of the central issues was not whether the evidence was "weak" but whether it was "wholly unreasonable" to seek the prosecution in the first place.

His ruling stated: "Was the court correct in law to determine that it had the power to order costs against the appellant where the finding of an unnecessary act was on the basis that the evidence presented was too weak to satisfy the criminal standard of proof?

"My answer is that the court’s exercise of the power to order costs was flawed and wrong for the reasons I have given; the test is not whether the evidence was too weak but whether the decision to prosecute was wholly unreasonable."

The judge instead ordered that the costs should come from 'central funds', stating: "I will direct that the respondents’ costs of the proceedings below shall be paid out of central funds, save for the costs of their expert evidence, which shall not be recoverable."

Mr Borie and Ms Francis ran the celebrated Checkers restaurant in Montgomery, with Ms Francis' sister Kathryn. The venue opened inn 2011 and had secured a Michelin star within seven months of opening.

They finished operating the restaurant in 2018.

Mr Lewis stood for Reform UK in last year's general election, finishing in second place to Labour's Steve Witherden.

He beat the incumbent MP, Conservative Craig Williams, by more than 1,000 votes after the Tory had become embroiled in a betting scandal ahead of the election.