A sister has lost her share of her late father's 1million estate after telling a series of lies to the dying pensioner about her brother in a bid to get him cut from the will.
Sonia Whittle turned her father Gerald Whittle against his son David with a string of false accusations shortly before his death, a court heard.
Sonia falsely told her elderly father that her brother and his wife 'psychopaths' and 'criminals' in a 'disgraceful' attempt to cut them out of the will.
She also failed to tell David of their father's death and hid the 1m inheritance of antiques and classic cars from him.
And in a landmark ruling delivered this week, a High Court judge has ruled the will 'invalid' on the grounds that it was obtained fraudulently and through undue influence.
Known as 'fraudulent calumny', it is only the third court ruling of its kind since 2007.
Delivering the verdict on Tuesday at Bristol High Court, District Judge Tony Woodburn described it as a 'disgraceful' and 'appalling' attempt to cut rightful beneficiary out of will.
The court heard father-of-two Gerald died aged 92 in December 2016, just three weeks after executing his will and appointing daughter Sonia and her partner, Ray Spicer, as executors.
Fraudulent calumny is a form of fraud whereby a false representation about the character of someone is made to get them excluded from a will.
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