Suing British Gas - Harassment, Psychological Damage, Loss of Incomes

[vaughanash]

Please can someone advise me on taking legal action against British Gas for the following:

Harassment – using debt collectors against a vulnerable person with Complex PTSD (they had prior knowledge and I have evidence of that) for bills that were:
Incorrect – British Gas billed incorrectly for 22 months,
Illegal – British Gas turned off the smart meter around October 2021 and back on October 2022 to charge for 12 months at the new energy cap rise rate,
In query – I have email chains and could probably obtain phone records to prove that I have queries these charges for 13 months straight with British Gas ignoring them each time.
Loss of Income – British Gas ignored my queries for 13 months and then threated me with debt collectors with prior knowledge that the bills were Incorrect, illegal and in query. The results of these actions were:
Loss of income off sick 18/05/2023 to 10/09/2023 & 08/10/2023 to 09/11/2023 (149 days) Loss of income due to being off sick with Complex PTSD, with British Gas ignoring my queries of illegal charges playing a big part to my flare up and illness. - £11,300.56 approx in loss income.
Loss of income phased return to work 11/09/2023 to 07/10/2023 & 10/11/2023 to 07/02/2024 (117 days) Loss of income due to phased return from being off sick with Complex PTSD, with British Gas ignoring my queries of illegal charges playing a big part to my flare up and illness. - £3,882.20 approx in loss income.
Arrested as a result of Complex PTSD purposely triggered by British Gas which in turn has resulted in the following:
Immediate termination of job, £27,000 per annum salary
Loss of seized items:
Personal laptop (value around £2,000),
Works laptop (value around £1,500),
Personal tablet pc (value around £125-£150),
Personal android phone (value around £300),
Back up apple phone (value around £150),
Probably up to 2 years prison sentence
Probably loss of housing
Probably loss of all my personal belongings (could be up to £15,000 in value)
Criminal record
Loss of future professional job opportunities due to failing future DBS checks (note I have recently done a Prince2 Agile course so the future job income loss could be up to £50,000 a year for probably around 33 years of working again, not including salary rises over time with experience of being a project manager)

I would also like some legal advise on the following:
Court order, or other solution, preventing unethical debt collection from taking place,
Court order, or other solution, preventing my credit rating to be affected,
Court order, or other solution, that forces British Gas to accept manual payments instead of direct debts to call off the debt collectors,
Court order, or other solution, to force British Gas to move my electricity meter from my neighbour’s flat to mine (I have zero access to my electricity meter as it’s in my neighbours flat, both he and myself have mental health issues and he feels it is an invasion of privacy for me to read my meter) to enable me to make sure no one is stealing my electricity and enable me to take and provide meter readings,
Advise on gaining access to my meter, via a warranty and escort of police/community officer and electrician, for me to check the meter reading and check to see if my electricity I being stolen,
Advise on getting British Gas to give me a refund of up to 33% if my neighbour is stealing my electricity.
Advise of taking legal against British Gas to for compensation for all financial impact of their harassment of me.

Rough estimates of the amount of compensation expecting from British Gas:

Historic Loss of Income £15,182.76
Future Loss of Income (£27,000 per annum with 5% pay rise each year until retirement age) £1,682,713.22
Loss of All Possession Due to Prison Sentence £15,000.00
Compensation for Life Long Psychological Damage £1,000,000.00
Compensation Total £2,712,895.98


I would also like to know the viability of changing solicitors to take over my representation, via legal aid, from a solicitor who will not take my calls or arrange any meetings related to my arrest and seized items and will only be involved for police interviews and court dates.

[islandgirl]

Is it the 1st April?

[PallasAthena]

Of the £2.7m you want BG to pay you all except £15,000 or so is future loss resulting from this...

Arrested as a result of Complex PTSD purposely triggered by British Gas which in turn has resulted in the following

So what did you do to get arrested and how was it BG's fault?

What's your evidence that BG intentionally triggered your PTSD to make you commit a criminal act?

[vaughanash]

So what did you do to get arrested and how was it BG's fault?

What's your evidence that BG intentionally triggered your PTSD to make you commit a criminal act?

I have evidence of email chains of both:
British Gas overcharging me by atleast £800 by charging all electricity usage from Oct 2021 to Sep 2022 at Oct 2022 increased energy cap prices,
Me informing British Gas that I am a vulnerable person with Complex PTSD.

I can prove that they had knowledge of both those fact.

The refused to look into the overcharging, threatened me with debt collection, which triggered my Complex PTSD.
This caused involuntary action on my part of threatening the lived of those at British Gas.

I was then arrested, my laptop seized, works laptop seized, mobile phone seized, back up mobile phone seized, tablet pc seized and immediately terminated from job.
I am likely to be sent to prison for this for up to 2 years with an unlimited fine.
I will lose all my personal possessions.
I will not be able to pass DBS checks for future jobs.
I will not be able to attain future jobs.

I have kept communications with British Gas in email forms so that I have complete evidence of when they have replied, when they have ignored and also their completely unethical use of debt collectors on the mentally ill after they have been breaking the energy cap laws and refusing for 13 months to correct billing.

[PallasAthena]

So you threatened to kill BG staff and you believe you are likely to go to prison for up to two years as a result but that's BG's fault?

I think your belief that BG owe you nearly £3m in compensation is frankly delusional.

But good luck with finding any law firm willing to represent you in your claim. I can only suggest you search online for solicitors willing to take on no-win no-fee compensation claims. But prepare to be disappointed.

[vaughanash]

So you threatened to kill BG staff and you believe you are likely to go to prison for up to two years as a result but that's BG's fault?

I think your belief that BG owe you nearly £3m in compensation is frankly delusional.

But good luck with finding any law firm willing to represent you in your claim. I can only suggest you search online for solicitors willing to take on no-win no-fee compensation claims. But prepare to be disappointed.

It was as a direct result to them harassing me, with prior knowledge of my Complex PTSD (I have evidence for that), with ILLEGAL energy prices (I have evidence of that too) which they had prior knowledge of (I also have evidence of that).

Threatening a mentally ill person to take his stuff he paid for legally because he won't pay illegal charges is no different to a citizen breaking into a mentally ill persons residence and stealing his things.

There is legal precedence to sue them for the harassment alone, google FERGUSON V BRITISH GAS.
It's becoming clear to me very early on the users of this site would rather take the piss out of the mentally ill that actually offer advice.

[PallasAthena]

This site does not assume that people posting here are mentally ill and nor do I.

I have offered you advice about how to find a solicitor willing to represent you. You don't have to take my advice of course. It remains my opinion that you will struggle to find a solicitor willing to do that. Up to you to find out whether my opinion is right or wrong. It's only an opinion.

[efpom]

Have you been charged with a criminal offence? If "yes", "What is the exact wording on the charge sheet?

[vaughanash]

Have you been charged with a criminal offence? If "yes", "What is the exact wording on the charge sheet?

I'm on pre-charge bail. Based on the fact that I am from a poor background and have mental health issues I am fairly sure that the worse will happen in terms of being charged and imprisoned, my faith in law and order in the United Kingdom isn't great

[efpom]

OK – It seems that you are on police bail.
Is the accommodation you live in rented?
Is that accommodation an apartment or something else?
Is the electricity meter fitted in your accommodation or is it located somewhere else e.g. in a common area?

[islandgirl]

As someone who would conduct the trial your background will not matter and your mental health issues will be taken into consideration provided you prove them. Hopefully you are getting legal advice. What is the charge? Threats to kill? If so here are the guidelines for sentencing if pleading or found guilty: https://www.sentencingcouncil.org.uk...reats-to-kill/

[vaughanash]

OK – It seems that you are on police bail.
Is the accommodation you live in rented?
Is that accommodation an apartment or something else?
Is the electricity meter fitted in your accommodation or is it located somewhere else e.g. in a common area?

Rented accommodation.
The meter is in someone else's flat, British Gas are refusing to move it. My neighbour doesn't want me to access his flat to view my meter due to his mental health and invasion of privacy.
I have no legal access to my own meter, which is what has lead to British Gas to be able to turn off the smart meter from October 2021 to September 2022, turn it back on October 2022 and charge me for the full year at the brand new energy cap rise.
I need legal advice on that and legal advice on getting it moved into my flat too, but the matters mentioned already are more critical for now

[vaughanash]

As someone who would conduct the trial your background will not matter and your mental health issues will be taken into consideration provided you prove them. Hopefully you are getting legal advice. What is the charge? Threats to kill? If so here are the guidelines for sentencing if pleading or found guilty: https://www.sentencingcouncil.org.uk...reats-to-kill/

I believe that it is Malicious Communications Act charges, based on my recollection of events, which are a tad fuzzy due to my Complex PTSD being triggered that day plus the police denying me access to my medication for managing pain of a traumatic brain injury that I had previously sustained for the 12 hours that I was in custody

[efpom]

The “objective data” so far.

1 The meter is installed in another apartment.
2 The occupier of that apartment refuses access to that meter.
3 The OP is renting his apartment.
4 The OP has been billed by the electricity supplier for electricity the supplier asserts the OP has consumed.
5 The OP disputes the accuracy of the supplier’s billing because he is prevented from verifying via a physical inspection of the meter readings that the supplier’s billing is accurate.

The OP is requested to confirm that the objective data above is true.

The OP is requested to confirm that it is the OP’s name on the supplier’s bills.

The OP is requested to confirm whether the physical address on the bill is the apartment postal address of the apartment the OP is renting.

My comment: It is for the landlord to negotiate with the owner of the meter and with the occupier of the apartment where the meter presently ‘lives’ to effect a move of the meter into the OP’s apartment.

I will not comment on the criminal aspects of the position that the OP finds himself in.

[wales01man]

Is this meter only for your flat if so ask for a smart meter you will then have access via some media to it to check it is working correctly. we have a remote reader tells everthing.