Binman Benji sues jewellery empire heir
Conal Walsh
Sunday May 6, 2001
The Observer
http://www.observer.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,6903,486651,00.html He is best known for rummaging through the dustbins of the rich and famous. But Benjamin Pell has betrayed an appetite for Hollywood glory in a bizarre legal action launched against John Mappin, an heir to the Mappin and Webb jewellery empire.

'Benji the binman' has been a legend in Fleet Street since the Sunday Times and other papers began to base exclusives on his smelly but newsworthy discoveries. And when the idea arose to make a movie about his life, he jumped at the chance.

But his dream has turned sour. Pell is accusing Mappin of hoodwinking him out of nearly 80,000 pounds with empty promises to turn his story into 'the biggest movie of all time'.

He says he handed the money over to pay the travel costs and expenses of an American 'filmmaker' introduced to him by Mappin. He claims the man, allegedly described by Mappin as 'the most powerful person in Hollywood', turned out to be a hairdresser whom Mappin met at a Scientology meeting.

Pell says nothing came of the movie. He wants his money back and is accusing Mappin of fraudulent misrepresentation. Mappin denies the allegations and says he is going to file a counterclaim against Pell.

Thanks to his muckraking activities, Pell, 36, is no stranger to the courts. A former trainee solicitor who lives with his parents in Hendon, north London, he first attracted attention in 1997 after searching through the bins of Elton John's manager and discovering details of the star's finances. He took his scoop to the tabloids and has been repeating the trick ever since. His victims range from girl band All Saints to Lottery company Camelot and Philip Gould, a key aide to Tony Blair. Pell's new adversary is almost as colourful. Mappin's business interests include a local newspaper company in London and Camelot Castle, a King Arthur-themed hotel in Tintagel, Cornwall.

Mappin, 36, has also been involved in a number of film projects in the US and is currently embarking on a new career as a pop star. According to Camelot Castle's website, his first album, Silence, will soon be available.

Pell's legal claim, submitted to the High Court in London, says Mappin first proposed the idea of the film in June 1999. Mappin allegedly said the movie would be based on Pell's life story and would be 'a $10 million blockbuster', but that it could only be made properly by one man - William Iain Jones.

Mappin allegedly said Jones had introduced John Travolta to Quentin Tarantino 'and secured him the part in Pulp Fiction'. Pell claims that Mappin offered to introduce him to Jones. But he says he was told he would have to pay the US producer £10,000 in consideration for his time.

Pell also says he was told Jones could not be expected to stay in 'any old motel', and handed over a further £3,375 to cover accommodation costs.

Pell claims he first met Jones a few weeks later at London's Four Seasons Hotel. At that point, he says, an agreement was struck and Jones filmed him at work as a prelude to the movie project.

According to Pell's statement of claim, Mappin later persuaded him to pay additional sums totalling more than £53,000 to cover Jones's expenses.

Meanwhile, he says, Mappin assured him that Jones was busy at work on the project in California.

By March 2000, Pell says he was becoming suspicious. When Mappin allegedly asked him for a further £40,000, he refused. He accuses Mappin of 'creating a sham appearance that a bona fide film was being made' to get as much of his money as possible.

Pell also says Jones 'was neither well-known nor well-connected nor highly influential nor trustworthy nor experienced' as a producer. 'In fact, Mr Jones was not a qualified film producer at all; rather, he was a hairdresser.' Pell was not returning calls last week. Mappin maintains the movie is still being made and Pell's money was used for the purpose intended. He admitted Jones was a hairdresser but said he was also a 'keen and enthusiastic film producer starting his career' who had studied filmmaking formally. Mappin added: 'I will be vigorously defending this claim.'

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