BESTIVAL founder and former Radio 1 DJ Rob da Bank is celebrating after he won his four-year-long court case against him — sued for £650,000 for an alleged unpaid loan.

The Island resident, whose real name is Robert Gorham, was appearing at Central London County Court accused of failing to repay a loan, made to him by TicketLine, to save the ailing festival in 2018.

The festival was originally held at Robin Hill Country Park on the Isle of Wight in 2004, and quickly became a huge event on the music festival calendar — attracting A-listers such as Elton John, Duran Duran, Kraftwerk, The Cure and Stevie Wonder, before it relocated to Dorset.

In 2018, Bestival struggled financially — and nearly didn't go ahead, until being rescued by an 11th hour cash injection, the court was told.

TicketLine Network Ltd claimed it personally loaned da Bank and co-event director, John Hughes, about £1million to keep the event going, but he "refused" to pay back about £650,000 of it.

The festival guru argued he had never agreed to a personal loan and should therefore not have to pay it back.  

Da Bank also told the judge he had not been directly involved in the financial side of the business.

Isle of Wight County Press: Rob da Bank in 2016.Rob da Bank in 2016.

 

After the judge ruled in the Bestival promoter's favour, da Bank said: "Josie and I are so happy and relieved truth and justice have prevailed, and that four years of exhausting legal proceedings are behind us.

"We are so grateful to our incredibly loyal friends and families for keeping us going — and to our legal team of Russell, Sara and Jonathan, for proving our innocence beyond any doubt.

"We are now looking forward to getting back to what matters most to us — our kids and families, messing about with mates in fields and festivals, and launching our brand new Camp Bestival festival in August."

This year's Camp Bestival will be held at Lulworth Castle, Dorset, and at Weston Park in Shropshire.

Isle of Wight County Press:

Russell Strong, a partner at Greenwoods Legal LLP, who represented da Bank, said: "Justice has been done. While the case against Robby changed many times, he maintained, from the outset, no money was loaned to him personally — and so it has been found."

Read more: Bestival boss Rob Da Bank being sued for 'unpaid' £650,000 loan

Fore more details about Camp Bestival 2022, visit https://www.campbestival.net/