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Hedge fund manager sues family in neighbouring flat, claiming their noise is ruining her life

Sarvenaz Fouladi outside Central London County Court - Paul Keogh
Sarvenaz Fouladi outside Central London County Court - Paul Keogh

A hedge fund manager is suing the family who live in a neighbouring £2 million flat, complaining that the noise of their children is making her late for work.

Sarvenaz Fouladi, 38, from Kensington, west London, claimed she had to eat chocolate at 9am just to stay awake.

She told Central London County Court she had been subjected to a constant bombardment of noise for more than seven years from the El Kerrami family-of-five upstairs.

She said the children treated the place like a "playground," running around and dropping toys, while the parents hosted late night parties.

But lawyers for her neighbours say the financier, who is single and lives with her mother, is being "hypersensitive" to the sounds of a normal family.

Their barrister, Gordon Wignall, said all she has heard is the sound of "ordinary folk doing ordinary things that ordinary folk do".

The block of flats in St Mary Abbots Court, Kensington, where Sarvenaz Fouladi claims her life has been blighted by noise  - Credit: Paul Keogh
The block of flats in St Mary Abbots Court, Kensington, where Sarvenaz Fouladi claims her life has been blighted by noise Credit: Paul Keogh

The court heard Miss Fouladi and her mother, Fereshent Salamat, had lived happily at St Mary Abbots Court, where flats sell for well over £2 million, for years without any noise from above.

It was only when work was done prior to Ahmed and Sarah El Kerrami's arrival in 2010 that their tranquil existence in the fifth-floor apartment off High Street Kensington came to an end, she told Judge Nicholas Parfitt.

Sounds from the boiler, a fridge, taps and the fireplace above began to disturb her sleep at night and relaxation during the day.

"They used it like a playground, kids running and dropping things for seven hours non-stop," she said.

"Before the flat was renovated and all the walls were demolished and the floors were taken out, there was no noise heard from the flat above ours."

Sarah El Kerrami outside Central London County Court - Credit: Paul Keogh
Sarah El Kerrami outside Central London County Court Credit: Paul Keogh

Miss Fouladi denying she was obsessed with the noise, adding: "I just want to live my life in peace. It's my home. It's where people go for peace and quiet.”

Mr Wignall suggested Miss Fouladi was not prepared to experience even the slightest noise.

He claimed she and her mother had continuously "pestered" porters in the block with complaints about their neighbours.

They had recorded sounds and kept a log of noises they said they had heard, he added.

In one entry, record was made of "child's voice, dragging toys on the floor, chair pulled, someone tapping on kitchen side deliberately".

The barrister continued: "I hesitate to use the word 'unhinged', but this sort of accusation has the impression of being completely irrational.”

Ahmed El Kerrami outside Central London County Court  - Credit: Paul Keogh
Ahmed El Kerrami outside Central London County Court Credit: Paul Keogh

Miss Fouladi was born in Iran but has lived in the UK since she was a young child.

She works as an execution trader for a hedge fund but told the court she was often late for work after being kept awake by noise from the flat above.

"I have chocolate at 9am in the morning to stay awake," she said.

"I'm not 12 years old. I was a 30-year-old woman with everything. I had a good career, a good home and great social life.

"The last seven-and-a-half years, I have been subjected to what they have done, my life has stood still. I cannot rest at all in my own home from the noise."

Miss Fouladi - who said the case was costing "hundreds of thousands of pounds" - is suing the El Kerramis for alleged "nuisance".

She is also claiming against the overseas company that owns her neighbours' flat and St Mary Abbots Court Ltd, the freehold owner of the whole block.

She wants damages and comprehensive steps taken to solve the alleged noise problem.

The El Kerramis and both companies deny her claims. The hearing continues.