An 86-year-old resident of Christ Church, Brian Chester, has been rendered homeless after High Court marshals demolished the house he had occupied for 30 years. Chester, represented by attorney Lalu Hanuman, had sought to purchase the land under the Tenantries Freehold Purchase Act, a 1979 law designed to enable former plantation tenants to own the land they occupied. Despite his urgent application to the High Court for a stay of the eviction and demolition order, Justice Patrick Wells rejected the request, leading to the destruction of Chester’s home on Wednesday, earlier than the scheduled Friday. Chester is now staying with a friend. The legal battle involved a US-based landowner, Barry Clarke, represented by attorney Branford McGline Taitt, the Chief Marshal, and the Attorney General. Chester claimed that the landlord had violated the Tenantries Freehold Purchase Act by failing to facilitate his purchase of the land since his application in June 2016. He also sought reimbursement for land rent paid since then. Chester argued that the absence of a Small Holdings Committee, which should handle such disputes, contributed to the unresolved matter. He requested the court to declare the land conveyed to him, reimburse his ground rent, and find the Attorney General negligent for failing to establish the committee.