A pair of judges has derided four feuding brothers as utter liars in a lovely judgment.

Ruling on an appeal by Abdulaziz Rashid in the High Court, Mr Justice Turner said that Judge Davy QC, who heard the case in the first instance, "bore witness to a festival of mendacity". Indicating that he felt sullied just by reciting the facts, Justice Turner promised, "I will keep this short".

Rashid and his three brothers inherited and ran their father's property portfolio, the details and profitability of which were, said Justice Turner, "but lightly touched upon in the tax returns". Rashid tried to cut out his three brothers, but he failed and they sacked him. He sued, claiming he was due a share of the rental incomes from what Justice Turner termed their "fiscally clandestine" organisation.

"Clearly, the arrangements between the brothers were unorthodox", said Justice Turner. But Judge Davy's task "was made no easier by the fact that he found that the evidence of all of them was utterly dishonest".

Coming to a DPP near you.

On Rashid, Judge Davy said, "I do not believe him on this or indeed any other material matter".

The second brother's evidence "was, I am sure, untruthful".

The third brother, "on any view", was "egregiously dishonest", and "as heroically dishonest as he is in his everyday life".

The fourth brother gave evidence "in a facetious manner", including "winking at the claimant's counsel at one stage". Judge Davy said it "revealed to me that he regards telling the truth as simply no more than a lifestyle choice".

Justice Turner said discerning the truth was hard enough without each witness "attempting to outdo the other in a rich display of competitive dishonesty". Dismissing Rashid's appeal, he declined to let any of the lying liars off the hook and said he would send his judgment to the Director of Public Prosecutions.