Granddaughters tried to challenge the will of a wealthy grandfather, but were left in debt (3 photos)

24 May 2024

After the death of Frederick Ward Sr., his family had to share an inheritance of £500,000, and the man left clear instructions on who would get the money. After the will was read out, the granddaughters went to court.





The former soldier decided to teach his granddaughters a lesson, and they tried to challenge his decision in court.

Upset that his granddaughters by his son Fred Jnr did not visit him in his final years, the 91-year-old left them just £50 each. His other children, Terry Ward and Susan Wiltshire, inherited most of the fortune and a flat worth £450,000.



Sisters Carol Gowing, Angela Saint-Marcel, Amanda Higginbotham, Christine Ward and Janet Pett went to court. They claimed that they should have inherited their late father's share and also accused their aunt and uncle of forcing their grandfather to change his will.

During the case, the judge learned that Fred Sr. had originally written a will that divided his property equally among his three children. However, after the death of Fred Jr. - the father of five daughters - the sisters began to rarely see their grandfather.



Delivering the decision, Judge Brightwell concluded: "In the circumstances, and despite Fred's promise to divide his estate among his children's children if anything happened to any of them, the 2018 will was entirely rational. I can understand the frustration of the plaintiffs, who , in fact, deprived."

The court recognized the will as valid. Following the hearing, the sisters were ordered to pay £220,000 to cover legal costs and those of their aunt and uncle.

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