I have a problem regarding my aunt’s will, and wonder if anyone can throw any positive light on it for me. I apologise for the length of this, but I wanted it to be the full story.
The aunt is my late father’s sister, a widow, no children. My mother, being my aunt’s sister in law, was the sole beneficiary for a long time, until she died in 2018. The will was then changed to my cousin’s son (who I’m going to call ‘D’), who basically intimidated and frightened my aunt, by bellowing at her that her property was going to be ‘mine, all mine, and nobody will take it away from me’, and telling everyone that he was going to inherit her property and money. His mother, my deceased cousin’s wife, (who I’m going to call ‘G’), has had much from my aunt, in terms of furniture and money, including a lump sum to pay off her mortgage, over the years, and has very questionable honesty and integrity. Money and personal effects went missing from my aunt’s property, and she had a period of being very out of sorts, and muddled, also taking double her medication, which resulted in her falling on more than one occasion. These things combined worried me, and I wrote to her solicitor, who told my aunt he thought it would be fairer if everything was split four ways, with me, my sister, and these two family members. This was done.
A period of relative quiet followed, but which ended when G (having named herself as next of kin, without permission), badgered my aunt’s doctors’ surgery, and in the end persuaded them that she was losing her marbles, and a doctor needed to confirm this, all without my aunt’s permission. Although not 100%, the doctor determined that my aunt was pretty good for ninety three, and so the plot was foiled. Not only that, but she had also offered to get my aunt’s pension for her, asked for a large lump sum to pay off her mortgage (which unfortunately, my aunt gave her), and attempted to get money out of my aunt’s account at the bank.
The doctor’s visit was the final straw, my aunt was understandably very angry and humiliated when this happened, and instructed her solicitor to take G and D from the will completely. The solicitor spoke to the doctors surgery and found that she had been a complete nuisance there. He wanted to take the incident further but my aunt decided not to. However, she had the locks changed and vowed that ‘they were dead to her’ and she never wanted anything more to do with them. That was October 2019. She was very relieved, and said a weight had been lifted from her.
We visited at Christmas, and these people were not on the scene at all. No Christmas card, present, nothing.
Roll on to this year, corona virus kicked in. We were due to see my aunt for her birthday in May, but obviously couldn’t visit. D (and his partner) turned up on my aunt’s birthday with a present, and birthday cake, at a time when she was the most vulnerable and lonely, and also when she was shielding. They have managed since then to win her round and persuade her once again to change her will, and leave everything to him. Apparently he has told her he will keep her property nice and tidy!
She told me this in a very matter of fact manner, and wondered why I sounded horrified at the prospect of this happening. Her solicitor seems complicit in this, even though he knows what has gone on in the past. He is also the executor of her will, and I believe, has Power of Attorney, although this is yet to be used. I do not trust these people, and fear that once the will is changed, at the age of ninety three, small, frail and vulnerable, it wouldn’t take much for her to ‘have a fall’, and they will have their hands on her money and property.
I am at a loss as to what I can do. I live three hours from her, which doesn’t help. I have spoken to social services, who could possibly intervene, but I think may worsen the situation as my aunt is very stubborn, and I don’t want to upset her. Obviously I can’t talk to her solicitor, and nobody else is involved. Help! Has anyone had experience of this sort of problem?