The opinions expressed by John Blunt are not necessarily those of this newspaper

FOR justice to be done, the bill for the loss should be the responsibility of the council officials in notoriously loony Lambeth.

They did nothing for more than 12 years about unemployed dolloper Timothy Ellis squatting in one of their houses so that he could go to court - with £10,000-worth of legal aid from the taxpayer - and end up being awarded ownership of a property worth £200,000.

But while 38-year-old benefits claimant Mr Ellis, who speaks of the "right" trespassers such as himself to be helped by society in the way he has been, celebrates his good fortune, do not sane, law-abiding members of society who struggle to put a roof over their heads - and, it turns out, may be ripped off by mortgage salesman in the process - have a right to be protected by the law from such feckless parasites?

What kind of justice is it when the law comes down on the side of someone abusing the law of property for so long - even if its owner (in this case, an irresponsible council) assists them by doing nothing - that they end up being rewarded so richly for behaviour which, over less than 12 years, would have declared them to be in the wrong?

It is, of course, not justice at all. And those of us who keep the law, pay our dues and expect justice from the courts can only choke on our anger when such outright immorality and impudence has the law's sanction.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.