Caradon councillor Tony Knott, and his wife, Julie, were celebrating yesterday (Thursday) after the result of a High Court case which they say vindicated them in their long-running fight with Caradon council.
Mr Knott, who was voted back on to Caradon district council in the last elections, is fighting for compensation from the authority over a planning permission which was later revoked.
The court case was to determined whether he and his wife would be given compensation.
Caradon argued that this was not warranted, as the home the couple had begun to build had been sited in the wrong place as regards planning permission given.
Mr Knott, when a councillor in l989, was granted permission for a detached house at Richmond Park, Sandways, Calstock.
Permission was also given to applications by their son-in-law and daughter, and their two sons, for sites nearby, this approved in l995.
Later, following the intervention of the then secretary of state, John Gummer, the planning permissions were suggested for revocation, which Caradon voted in favour of in l996.
In the meantime Mr Knott was diagnosed with cancer of the stomach and underwent major surgery followed by chemotherapy. He and his wife had to move into a shed at Sandways, which they applied for permission to convert - but were refused.
Mr Knott maintains justice has been done with the High Court's verdict, which could mean the council having to pay the couple tens of thousands of pounds in compensation, although an amount still has to be determined. He said: 'Our whole case succeeded completely. Our family life has been wrecked in the past five years.'
Today (Friday) however, he and his wife are to appear at Bodmin magistrates court as Caradon is prosecuting them for non-compliance of an enforcement order to leave the shed they are living in.
Mrs Knott said she is extremely upset by the fact that she believes the council seems be 'wanting to turn us into criminals'.