A family have been convicted of attempting to kill their grandfather in order to receive their inheritance early.
At Winchester Crown Court, a jury decided that four of the individuals making up the defence were guilty of conspiracy to murder in order to receive their £400,000 inheritance.
The 89-year-old grandfather was attacked by a woman from Eastleigh who is related to the man, along with three of her offspring and her son’s girlfriend.
Another defendant, the lady’s youngest female child, was not convicted on this charge but instead judged to be guilty of malicious wrongdoing.
The grandfather survived the attack in November 2010, when he was set upon in his front garden in a village close to Winchester.
“Obviously it’s shocking a family can do this to someone who is related to them but it appears to a crime motivated entirely by greed and nothing else,” detective sergeant Bryan Carter of Hampshire Constabulary told the BBC.
In April this year, Usman Shahzad also admitted his guilt in a wills and probate murder case after he killed his mother, as he believed that she would not include him in her will. His mother had recently married a man from Pakistan and Mr Shahzad feared losing his inheritance. He was convicted of killing his 40 year old mother in her £600,000 home and will now serve a minimum of 20 years.
These shocking examples show that a promised inheritance or the threat of losing such an inheritance can have an impact on family members; even if the reaction is not as extreme as those taken above! It can sometimes be better to involve the family in discussions about estate planning however there may be occasions where sensitivity and privacy is needed.
Most important of all is the need for a properly written will to express the wishes of the testator rather than leaving the intestacy rules to pass on an estate to those who may think they are morally entitled to it. It is especially important that the Will is stored securely to prevent it being destroyed by an angry or upset family member.
