THE mum of five sisters left just £50 from their grandad’s £500,000 fortune because they “didn’t visit enough” reportedly said her dead husband would be “fuming”.
Frederick Ward Snr died in 2020 aged 91 and gave the lion’s share of his £500,000 estate to two of his kids, Terry Ward and Susan Wiltshire.
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However, Frederick’s dead son Fred Jr’s five adult children were handed just £50 each in envelopes leading to a family row.
The former soldier told his legal representatives that he was upset because he had not been visited by his Fred’s children while in hospital three times with a lung condition.
After learning they had been all but disinherited, the five – sisters Carol Gowing, Angela St Marseille, Amanda Higginbotham, Christine Ward and Janet Pett – took the case to the High Court but lost.
Now, according to one source, Fred Jr’s widow Ann Ward has said she has “no doubts” that her late husband would be infuriated by the token gesture.
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“Ann is very clear. If her late husband was still alive he would have been absolutely fuming that his daughters had been disinherited like this,” the source told MailOnline.
“He would be turning in his grave. She has no doubts whatsoever about that.
“It is not about the money. She believes her girls were fighting for what their dad would have wanted and what their grandfather had originally promised.
“There are a lot of serious questions to be asked about the judge’s ruling. Ann believes some key evidence appears not to have been fully taken into account.”
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The source added that the sisters couldn’t “afford” to appeal the judge’s verdict as they are “already having to pay both sides’ legal costs”.
The quintet claimed they should get their late dad’s one-third share of their grandfather’s money.
We inherited my boyfriend’s mum’s house but it turned into a total nightmare when we discovered what was inside
They argued that their uncle Terry and aunt Susan had “unduly influenced” their grandad into changing his will to give them the five sisters’ share of his estate.
However their case was thrown out by High Court judge Master James Brightwell.
He said it was “entirely rational” for the “disappointed” grandad to cut out his grandkids due to their “very limited contact” with him in his last years.
He said that “the evidence does not come close to persuading me” that Terry had “coerced” his father or that Susan had “controlled” him such as to cast doubt on his will.
What is the inheritance tax threshold and how does it work?
Here’s everything you need to know about inheritance tax – including the threshold limit.
Inheritance Tax is a tax on the estate – the property, money and possessions – of a person who’s died.
There’s normally no Inheritance Tax to pay if the value of your estate is below the £325,000 threshold.
You can also avoid paying the tax if you leave everything above the threshold to your spouse, civil partner, a charity or a community amateur sports club.
If your estate’s value is below the £325,000 limit, you will still need to report it to HMRC.
This is called the “main residence” band.
If you’re married or in a civil partnership and your estate is worth less than the upper limit, any unused threshold can be added to your partner’s when you die.
If you give away your home to your children – including adopted, foster or step children – or grandchildren when you die, your Inheritance Tax threshold can increase to £500,000.
This means their threshold can be as much as £1million.
The standard Inheritance Tax rate is 40 per cent – but it is only charged on the part of your estate that’s above the threshold.
Fred Snr was an “independent and strong minded” ex-cable joiner and regular social club user who lived in South Ealing, London.
He had three kids, Fred Jr, Terry and Susan, and had previously made a will which split his estate, including his £450,000 maisonette, between all three.
But Fred Jr – father to the five sisters – died before his dad in 2015, following which the family fell out and Fred Snr did not see much of Fred Jr’s side.
And when his will was read out by Terry after his death, a bitter shouting match broke out – which was recorded and played to the court – when it was revealed that the five sisters had been all but cut out.
From a fortune valued at around £500,000, they were handed envelopes containing just £50 each in cash by Terry.
They then sued, claiming that their grandad’s final 2018 will was invalid, having been made when he was “an ill man” and “frightened” of Terry, who “coerced” him into making it.
They also pointed the finger at Susan, Fred Snr’s daughter and carer in the last years of his life, accusing her of exerting “undue influence” over their grandad.
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Their barrister told the judge that Terry had developed a particular “hate” for his niece Carol Gowing after a family falling out over a property.
They said there was a “palpable…dislike between the two sides of the family”.
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