Man sells £200,000 stamp collection to his cleaner for £1 and cuts kids out of will

An aged stamp collector is astatine the centre of a bitter ineligible enactment aft helium sold his £200,000 postulation to his cleaner for a lb and near her the bulk of his affluent estate.

Ray Watts had antecedently wanted to divided his property among his household but changed his volition 2 years earlier his decease successful 2021 and chopped them retired of it.

Instead, the 90-year-old named Sue Pope, his cleaner and informal carer, and the inheritant to his £250,000 property and prized stamp collection.

Beverley Neate, girl of Mr Watts’ 2nd wife, is present warring to overturn the volition astatine Central London County Court, claiming her stepfather ne'er intended to disinherit her and that Mrs Pope cannot beryllium that it reflected his existent intentions.

But Mrs Pope – who says she was acold much than a cleaner and carer to her person Mr Watts -has fired back, and claimed helium did privation to chopped retired his ‘disrespectful’ step-daughter aft she changed the locks astatine his location erstwhile helium was successful hospital.

Judge Nigel Gerald was told that Mr Watts had 3 children – Nicholas and Lesley Watts and Deborah Humphreys – by his archetypal wife, Madeline Watts, earlier she died successful 1995.

He went connected to remarry, taking Fay Watts arsenic his 2nd woman successful 1998, with her children, Mrs Neate and sons Mark and Sean Brennan, becoming his stepkids.. She died successful 2011.

Mr Watts had been a clerk astatine Lloyds Bank during his moving life, but successful status devoted himself to philately, attending fairs and dealing successful stamps.

Valued astatine up to £200,000 by Mrs Neate, his banal included stamps dating backmost arsenic acold arsenic the 1840s.

Mrs Pope came into Mr Watts’ beingness aft helium placed an advertisement for a cleaner, but gradually she took connected much and much duties until she was caring for him too.

Under a volition written successful 2007, Mr Watts had intended to permission his estate, including his stock of the household location successful Great Waldingfield, adjacent Sudbury, Suffolk, to his six children and stepchildren equally.

But a caller volition was made successful 2019 aft helium had been admitted to infirmary pursuing a superior autumn astatine home, pursuing which helium had lain undiscovered for hours.

The volition near £15,000 to each of his 3 children and Mrs Neate, with the remainder of an property valued astatine astir £250,000 going to Mrs Pope.

However, helium past executed a codocil, a papers altering the effect of a will, successful 2020, slashing Mrs Neate’s stock to a ‘deliberately derisory’ bequest of a azygous pound, the tribunal heard.

Challenging the validity of the volition and codicil, Mrs Neate’s lawyers assertion that Mrs Pope cannot amusement that the ailing pensioner had ‘knowledge and approval’ of its contents, ineligible connection meaning they represented his ‘testamentary intentions.’

Her barrister Nathan Wells said Mr Watts had been described successful infirmary arsenic ‘confused with a reduced level of consciousness’ and that determination had been a ‘slowing of his thinking.’

There was besides grounds of ‘significant’ engagement of Mrs Pope successful the making of the will, she having contacted the solicitors to be to Mr Watts successful hospital, helium said.

Mrs Neate claimed to person had a ‘good relationship’ with her stepdad, adding: ‘I cannot reconcile the instructions down that codicil with the Ray that I had known for truthful galore years.’

Her barrister said determination had been continued interaction betwixt the 2 of them, with Mrs Neate providing assistance with aesculapian appointments, portion Mr Watts would walk Christmas with her and her husband.

For Mrs Pope, barrister Elis Gomer told the justice that she is not being accused of ‘undue influence,’ but simply being required by Mrs Neate to beryllium that the volition and codicil reflected Mr Watts’ ‘true wishes.’

But helium insisted the step-daughter’s situation was based connected a ‘rather nebulous jumble of allegations’ and that the volition and codicil were perfectly valid.

He insisted that Mr Watts wanted Mrs Pope to payment from his 2019 volition and had gone connected to further slash his step-daughter’s inheritance to £1 due to the fact that of her ‘disrespectful’ actions successful having changed the locks connected his location erstwhile helium was successful hospital.

‘Mrs Pope’s presumption is simply that the 2019 volition arose retired of a tendency to payment Mrs Pope.

‘The 2020 codicil came astir arsenic a effect of the deceased’s presumption that Mrs Neate’s behaviour towards the extremity of his beingness was – to usage the deceased’s words – “disrespectful and distressing”, to the constituent that helium nary longer wished to marque immoderate meaningful proviso for Mrs Neate.’

He said Mrs Pope’s relationship had been corroborated by Mr Watts’ 3 biologic children, with Nicholas Watts saying his dada considered helium had fixed the 3 children capable during his lifetime.

He besides criticised Mrs Neate’s continual notation to Mrs Pope arsenic a ‘cleaner’ successful lawsuit documents, erstwhile contempt opening arsenic a paid cleaner, she had gone connected to go overmuch much progressive successful his life.

‘Mrs Neate’s antipathy towards Mrs Pope successful these proceedings is palpable,’ Mr Gomer told the judge.

‘She has intelligibly go convinced that the presumption of the 2019 volition and the 2020 codicil are “suspicious” and that determination is grounds to suggest that thing has “gone wrong” successful their creation.

‘It is submitted that the nonsubjective grounds simply does not enactment that presumption and….that the deceased knew and approved the presumption of the 2019 volition and the 2020 codicil.’

On apical of her £200,000 stock of Mr Watts’ property Mrs Pope besides got his stamp postulation for a nominal sum. However she says it was worthy nary much than £40,000 alternatively than £200,000.

The lawsuit continues.

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