A disgruntled tenant emptied 5,000 litres of raw sewage inside his landlord's property after being told he was being evicted, a court has heard. Luke William Fifield has been dubbed Australia's 'worst rental tenant' after he caused $150,000 in damage to the Mendooran rental property in central-west New South Wales. However, he will only pay a tiny fraction of that after being fined a paltry $3,000 in Gunnedah Local Court last month for polluting the nature strip outside the house.
Background of the Dispute
The trouble started in July 2023 when retirees Les and Anne Washbrook decided to sell the investment property leased to Fifield two years earlier, the court heard. After being told his lease was being terminated, he refused to leave and unsuccessfully appealed their decision at the residential tribunal. Court documents state Fifield also threatened to burn the couple's house down, prompting an apprehended violence order against him, as reported by the Daily Telegraph. The couple were forced to withdraw the property from sale until he vacated.
The Discovery
The Washbrooks were overcome by an 'overpowering' stench when they finally got the all-clear to access the vacant property seven months later in February 2024. Fifield had flooded the property with human waste using a hose connected to the septic tank in the backyard, the court heard. The floors, carpets and a mattress were soaked with sewage, which contaminated the entire house and flowed outside onto the nature strip.
'There were brown high tide marks about 15cm tall along the walls inside the house,' Ms Washbrook told a Warrumbungle Shire Council investigator. Her husband added: 'Every room and every fixture had been damaged. We were unable to remain in the house for long. The smell was overpowering.'
Other damage included large holes punched into walls, expletives carved into furniture and a bedroom wall vandalised with a 180cm-tall penis. Ms Washbrook received a text from a payphone on the day she inspected the damage, according to court documents. 'U BROUGHT IT ON URSELF,' the message read.
Aftermath and Legal Consequences
The Washbrooks spent four months repairing the damage to the property, which later sold for $260,000 in September 2024. The $150,000 damage bill caused by Fifield was mostly covered by insurance. New South Wales Police did not lay charges, prompting Warrumbungle Shire Council to take the matter to court and prosecute Fifield for polluting the nature strip.
Top Sydney defence lawyer Paul McGirr represented the council in the case. 'It's the most disgusting and disgraceful behaviour,' he told the publication. 'They're an elderly couple who are good to their tenants but were left with a property that was turned into a serious health hazard.'
