Housing group resorts to libel threats

By CH, submitted on Fri, 29/08/2008 - 13:43

Angel Group, who have a lucrative Home Office contract to house asylum seekers, have engaged the services of a firm of Edinburgh libel lawyers in an apparent attempt to silence criticism of their "service provision"

Organisations and individuals taking an interest in Angel's activities have reportedly received threatening letters from this firm on behalf of the profitable firm staffed by rude and abrupt workers. The letters are believed to warn against making statements about the Angel Group's provision of service and the behaviour of their staff.

Unfortunately for the Angel Group, there are no shortage of people who have stories of ill-treatment at the hands of the Group and its staff. These people also have no assets that a legal action could hope to recover for "damages" even if their stories turned out not to be true. The only purpose of legal threats could be to attempt to scare off organisations who have the means to obtain greater publicity and so keep things quiet. This "premptive libel strike" tactic seems to be becoming common, and puts Angel Group among such illustrious company as mercenaries and Uzbek oligarchs who have recently used it.

However, a source told me that a dossier of damaging and well-supported allegations about the Angel Group and their activities has been collated and is being prepared for launch. When asked about the prospect of legal action, they laughed and said "bring it on, we have nothing to lose".

The Home Office contract (not mentioned on Angel's cheesily-designed website) represents a very comfortable source of funding for a property group at a time of global credit crunch and falling prices; but the Government is not likely to go into bat for them. On the contrary, they would be happy to see others take the rap for damage caused by the system they preside over.

Angel Group seem set for a bad period in the very near future...

Comments

Re: Housing group resorts to libel threats

By TomM, submitted on Fri, 29/08/2008 - 14:02

I totally shat myself when i clicked on the link to their website, and this crazy music started playing at full volume. They truly brown-trousered this filthy anarchist ;-)

CH, the 3rd paragraph ends abruptly with "The only purpose of legal threats could be to".

Good article. I'm looking forward to this dossier of 'damaging and well-supported allegations'.

Fixed the broken sentence

By CH, submitted on Sat, 30/08/2008 - 02:45

...and anyone who says I am clumsy will be hearing from my lawyers, before they even get a chance to say it...

Re: Housing group resorts to libel threats

By The Devil, submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 27/04/2009 - 01:43

The angel group are taking money off the goverment, and housing asylum seekers in disgusting accomodation. Damp and downright dangerous conditions. You would not put a dog in these houses let alone vulnerable people, something is very wrong here. I could provide lots of evidence of illegal housing, damp walls, leaking roofs, dangerous mould and fungus, dangerous electrics, dangerous gas pipes, flamable sofas. The list goes on. I could h cry for these people living in this way while the angel group take the piss and make millions from the british tax payer. The staff report these things week after week but nothing is done. Dont blame the staff blame the managers.

There needs to be an idependant body set up to police the Angel group and others like them.

They lie and fail KPI's every month but cook the books to avoid fines, it is a joke.

I could show you hundreds of squalid houses as could anyone who works for them, most of us hate them and think the whole thing is wrong and we cannot understand how the goverment allows it to continue.

If they are Angels then give me a devil any day.

Re: Housing group resorts to libel threats

By Anonymous, submitted on Tue, 19/05/2009 - 13:22

Anonymous wrote:
The angel group are taking money off the goverment, and housing asylum seekers in disgusting accomodation. Damp and downright dangerous conditions. You would not put a dog in these houses let alone vulnerable people, something is very wrong here. I could provide lots of evidence of illegal housing, damp walls, leaking roofs, dangerous mould and fungus, dangerous electrics, dangerous gas pipes, flamable sofas. The list goes on. I could h cry for these people living in this way while the angel group take the piss and make millions from the british tax payer. The staff report these things week after week but nothing is done. Dont blame the staff blame the managers.

They lie and fail KPI's every month but cook the books to avoid fines, it is a joke.

I could show you hundreds of squalid houses as could anyone who works for them, most of us hate them and think the whole thing is wrong and we cannot understand how the goverment allows it to continue.

Hi, I'm a journalist interested in hearing more about this - please get in touch. Kathy Long 0141 422 7277