Samuel Leeds | |
|---|---|
| Born | Samuel Luke Leeds [1] April 1991 [1] |
| Education | Emmanuel Christian School, Birmingham Bible Institute |
| Occupations | Property trainer, investor, YouTuber |
| Spouse | Amanda Leeds [2] |
| Relatives | Russell Leeds (brother) [3] |
Samuel Leeds is a British property trainer, investor and YouTuber. [4] [5] Leeds and his activities have received extensive criticism. [6] [7] [8] [9]
Samuel Leeds attended Emmanuel Christian School, a private school in Leicester. [10] He also attended the Birmingham Bible Institute. [11]
Before his career in social media and property, Leeds worked as an illusionist. [12]
In the 2010 United Kingdom general election he stood for election as a Christian Party candidate for Birmingham Selly Oak. He received a 0.3% share of the vote. [13]
In 2018 Leeds and his brother purchased Ribbesford House, a historic English mansion near Bewdley in Worcestershire for £810,000. [3] [14]
In 2023 Leeds and his brother launched Samuel Leeds Finance, a lending initiative offering funding for Samuel Leeds Academy members' projects. [15] [16]
In 2024 Leeds and his brother reached a deal to rent Willingham House in Willingham in Cambridgeshire to run as an Apartment hotel. [17] [18] [19]
Leeds lives in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire with his wife and four children. [2]
Leeds claims to have a UK property portfolio worth £20 million and charges up to £12,000 for 12 months of coaching. [20] [21] The Daily Telegraph reported that some attendees used savings or loans to pay for courses and said they had not achieved expected results, while others reported successful deals. [22]
In October 2019 Andrew Burgess started a Facebook group called The Truth about Samuel Leeds. In January 2021 Samuel Leeds launched legal proceedings seeking more than £6 million in damages against Burgess and several other members, alleging harassment and defamation. [23] [7] [8] The case against the Facebook group members was struck out in the High Court by Mr Justice Nicklin in May 2024. [23] [24]
In January 2020 BBC News reported on the suicide of Danny Butcher, who had taken out loans to join Samuel Leeds' Academy. Butcher, who had struggled with mental health issues and debt, did not make the money he thought he would from property investment. [12] An article in The Daily Telegraph claimed that there was no evidence the course caused his death. [4] Leeds instructed his solicitors to send a warning letter to Carrie Jones, Butcher's sister, accusing her of defamation and harassment. She denied any wrongdoing. [7]
In May 2021 Samuel Leeds launched legal proceedings against Property Tribes co-founder Vanessa Warwick. [25] She denied any wrongdoing and filed a counter-claim against Leeds for defamation and harassment. [7] The case was settled out of court. [26]
In September 2022 The Guardian reported that Ellisons Solicitors, acting on behalf of Samuel Leeds, had issued legal threats or proceedings against at least 15 individuals or websites in response to criticism of his courses. [7] Commentators raised concerns about the use of litigation to challenge online criticism. [7] Leeds was mentioned by name by Rachel Gilmour MP in a parliamentary debate on strategic lawsuits against public participation. [27]