NICHOLAS van Hoogstraten came out fighting last night after he was formally cleared of hiring hitmen to murder his business rival.
After serving 11 months of a ten-year prison sentence for manslaughter, the millionaire property baron spent his first day of freedom threatening to sue "just about everybody" involved in his high-profile prosecution last October.
He spoke out on
the steps of the Old Bailey after the judge, Sir Stephen Mitchell, ordered a verdict of not guilty be entered on manslaughter charge against Mr Hoogstraten, 58, after the prosecution offered no evidence at a retrial.
The developer, from Uckfield, East Sussex, had first been accused of murdering Mohammed Raja in July 1999, but was cleared last year by a jury which then found him guilty of manslaughter.
Mr Hoogstraten, who once described his politics as being "to the right of Attila the Hun", was jailed for ten years after the jury found him guilty of hiring two hitmen, David Croke and Robert Knapp, to murder Mr Raja, 62, on his doorstep with a sawn-off shotgun in July 1999. Croke and Knapp are serving life sentences for the murder.
After serving six months, Mr Hoogstraten appealed to the High Court in July this year and won a surprise retrial when it was decided that the judge’s direction to the jury at the time of the original trial was unsafe.
It was the beginning of a lengthy legal battle by Mr Hoogstraten to clear his name. His lawyers successfully went on to argue that the manslaughter case against him could not be lawful on the grounds that there was no evidence on which a jury could convict him.
Last night, carrying his trademark leather trench coat and wearing a grey pin-striped suit, the millionaire claimed that Mr Raja’s family had brought pain upon themselves by pursuing him as the culprit while knowing who was really responsible.
Mr Hoogstraten also revealed he had made a series of complaints to the Metropolitan Police about the handling of his case.
"Immediately following my conviction last year, I made a detailed complaint based on substantial evidence which came to light during the trial. I hope it will be diligently pursued. If it is not, I have further recourse," he said.
Asked whom he was thinking of taking legal action against, the millionaire answered: "Just about everybody."
He added: "I am not allowed to give further details at this stage."
Mr Hoogstraten alleged he had been prosecuted despite the identity of the real killer being known.
It was only after the appointment of his new legal team and Sir Stephen Mitchell as the trial judge that he was cleared.
He said: "This prosecution should never have been brought."
In a rare moment of compassion, the millionaire said he felt sympathy for the Raja family because "they have no finality at the moment".
But he added: "Mohammed Raja was a serial fraudster, drug dealer and money lender."
The millionaire also revealed last night that £30 million of his £95 million fortune had been seized by the sequestrator and the rest had been frozen by the High Court.
He intends to fight for every penny to be returned.
He also thanked staff and inmates at Belmarsh prison, where he had been detained since March last year.
He said: "It could have been a lot worse. Fortunately, we have prison staff who are wonderful people. I wish to thank the staff and inmates of Belmarsh prison for their support throughout.
"I have had between 800 and 900 letters from members of the public across the spectrum, offering me their support and legal advice. It was greatly appreciated."
