The owner of a mansion where a businessman shot his wife and daughter before killing himself has launched a £50,000 court battle against his builder after claiming his 'cursed' home is a 'death trap'.

Kevin Gorski, 49, says he poured almost £1million into rebuilding Osbaston House in Maesbrook, Shropshire - but claims it has been left 'at risk of collapse' by his builder Carl Bather. 

Sixteen-acre Osbaston House estate was once home to debt-ridden tycoon Christopher Foster, 50, who murdered his wife Jill, 49, and their 15-year-old daughter Kirstie in a crime that shocked Britain.

Foster also slaughtered the family's four dogs and three horses before setting fire to the six-bedroom mansion in 2008 and turning the gun on himself. 

The charred remains of the macabre three-storey house were later razed to the ground before Mr Gorski bought the land from receivership for £360,000 in 2014, and set about turning it into his dream home. 

But he alleges the wrong mortar was used and stonework was not properly prepared, comparing the house to 'a Jenga block'. Mr Gorski also claims two 80kg stones have fallen off the roof. 

Speaking ahead of a three-day civil trial, Mr Gorski said: 'It has been a constant nightmare. You are always wondering whether the house is going to collapse and what is going to happen next.

'When you have children running around and you are worried that a heavy block of stone could fall, it is a nightmare waiting to happen. Those stones weighed between 40 and 80 kilos each. It is a risk-to-life situation.'

Mr Gorski used compensation from a life-changing motorbike crash, after being hit by an articulated lorry in June 2008, to fund the purchase and set about building a 'dream home' in which he could recuperate.

CJ Bather Ltd, run by Mr Bather, won a £222,400 tender in 2016 to construct the foundations, drainage and shell of the new house.

But Mr Bather denies responsibility for the alleged defects and claims Mr Gorski has 'done nothing but bait' his company and 'further damage the building himself'.

In his witness statement, he states: 'I have spent these past years basically putting my professional ambitions on hold - knowing full well that this day would come and that I would have to financially be able to fund it.

'That has meant no upscaling or investment and ultimately the prime earning years of my working life wasted.

'I thought naively that Mr Gorski would realise the futility of all of this at some point, but these proceedings have a much more personal feel to them.'

In the most dramatic section of his defence, Mr Bather claims his family became the target of intimidation while the legal dispute was developing.

He alleges that in early December 2019 his wife contacted him 'in distress' after discovering 'all four tyres on the family car had been slashed' while she was trying to take their then five-year-old son to school.

Mr Bather said: 'I was and remain convinced that this was an attempt by Mr Gorski to intimidate our family'.

Mr Bather says he installed CCTV shortly before Christmas because he feared further intimidation and on Christmas morning found two tyres flat on his work truck and two on the family car.

He said: 'Instead of exchanging gifts and preparing the vegetables, all the adults in the house are pouring over unfamiliar CCTV equipment trying to figure out who would do such a thing.'

Mr Bather claims the footage showed Mr Gorski, saying: 'It was obvious on our 50' HD television screen that Mr Gorski was the culprit, he was only about 5' from the camera in some frames.'

He says police later watched the footage, but the original recording was not recovered before it was automatically deleted after ten days, leaving only a phone video of the footage.

Mr Bather described the criminal case as 'a catalogue of errors on the part of the police' and said the loss of the original CCTV was 'absolutely critical'.

Mr Gorski faced no further action after being charged with criminal damage and denies being responsible in any way.

An expert witness statement filed on behalf of Mr Gorski's legal team alleges that the works 'fell below the standard required of a competent tradesman'.

Mr Gorski says the danger was made worse because he has hosted Ukrainian families fleeing Russia's invasion.

He said: 'Since the Ukraine war started, I have had 11 Ukrainians staying here, so I have had to try to keep them safe as well.

'The last thing I wanted was to help save families from war and have them killed here instead.'

The report estimates remedial works at £43,000, including £3,000 for cavity trays described as an improvement.

Mr Gorski said legal bills had mounted into the tens of thousands and were 'negatively impacting every aspect of my life'.

He added: 'It's like there is a curse on the land. I've put every penny I have into this project.

'I'm not someone from a wealthy background. I have put everything into this to try and move on from what previously happened.'

The case is expected to centre on whether the disputed stonework was defective, who was responsible for any failures and whether the claimed remedial costs are justified.

Mr Bather insists he is being wrongly blamed and says the long-running dispute has devastated his business, health and family life.

He also criticised the length of time before court proceedings were issued, saying it was 'frankly outrageous that anybody would wait this long to file court proceedings and not attempt to fix the original problems for six years.'

Mr Bather added in his witness statement: 'Whatever the outcome of this case, I have lost.

'Financially, health wise, family wise and professionally. Nothing can really compensate for this time.'

The extraordinary claims and counter-claims are due to be examined at a three-day civil trial in Wrexham, where Mr Gorski is suing Carl Bather Limited.

When approached by the Daily Mail, Mr Bather refused to comment on the dispute.

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