The three oligarch brothers were becoming increasingly influential in the borough. From appearing on the glossy pages of celebrity magazines to taking over the running of the local hospital, it seemed they had fingers in every pie in Lewisham.

While the two older brothers ran the family ‘business’, the youngest was known as the family buffoon. Clumsy and short of stature, he was constantly getting himself into media scrapes. It was a surprise to both of us when we met, fell in love and moved into a tiny terraced house. While I went out to work, Sergei kept buying new and ugly sofas which were too big for the parlour. In his mind, he still lived in a palace.