A family at war: daughter wins share of dad's £600k fortune after court battle

A daughter left just £250 in her dad's will after accusations she was “bad tempered” has won a court fight to share his £600,000 fortune.

- NEVILE AYLING

Laxmikant Patel, who died aged 85 in October 2021, handed his £600,000 house to his oldest daughter, Anju Patel, in his last will - while leaving his younger daughter, Bhavenetta Stewart-Brown, 52, and his son, Piyush Patel, 62, only £250 each.

Anju, 58, claimed her dad’s drastic decision to virtually disinherit two of his children could be explained by a growing mistrust he had developed towards them, because “they were only after his property”.

She said Laxmikant complained that Bhavenetta and Piyush had failed to show him “true affection” and, when asked to explain why he had left them anything at all, replied: “They have failed in their sense of duty, but as a father I have not forgotten them.” He was also said to have labelled his son, Piyush, a “hugely controlling” figure and complained of Bhavenetta’s “bad temper”.

But Laxmikant’s final will of August 2021 ended up under attack in London’s High Court, with Bhavenetta claiming a “cloud of suspicion” hung over the way it was drawn up and executed - having been made just two months before the man’s death when he was terminally ill, frail and in a hospital subject to Covid restrictions.

His previous will, written up in 2019, had left £50,000 to Anju, with the rest of the estate split in shares of 33 per cent to each of the children and 1 per cent to a charitable trust administered by Anju.

After hearing evidence and legal argument on both sides, Deputy Master Jason Raeburn has now ruled in favour of Bhavenetta, upholding the 2019 will, while declaring the circumstances of the 2021 will “highly suspicious”.

He said the hospital bed will was flawed on a number of grounds, including “lack of due execution” based on there being no evidence that those who witnessed the will signed the document at the same time using the same pen.