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Disinherited daughter faces losing home in legal battle with RNLI over father's estate

Sonya Young took the RNLI to court after discovering her father Brian Cole, a former lifeboatman, had "disinherited" her in his will by leaving £268,000 to the charity - Champion News
Sonya Young took the RNLI to court after discovering her father Brian Cole, a former lifeboatman, had "disinherited" her in his will by leaving £268,000 to the charity - Champion News

A disinherited daughter faces losing her home in a legal battle with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) over her father's £300,000 estate that he gave to charity instead of her.

Sonya Young took the RNLI to court after discovering her father Brian Cole, a former lifeboatman, had "disinherited" her in his will by leaving £268,000 to the charity.

Mrs Young, who received only £5,000 from her 70-year-old father’s estate after he killed himself in 2013, tried to argue that he was not in his right mind when he executed his will 25 days before his suicide.

But in July last year Judge Paul Teverson found in favour of the charity, upholding the will and ruling that Mr Cole made a conscious decision to "disinherit" his daughter after the pair fell out.

Mrs Young, of St Ambrose Close, Dinas Powys, Wales, went on to pay out £214,000 of her father’s money to the RNLI but had already "dissipated" £54,000 while it was in her hands, the court heard.

This week Judge Timothy Bowles ordered Mrs Young pay the charity a total of £140,000 to cover the shortfall, plus legal costs.

The order paved the way for her £260,000 family home - which she was awarded by a divorce court earlier this year - to be sold off so she can pay what she owes the charity.

Phillip Young, her ex husband, was in court at an earlier hearing and told Judge Teverson: "She gave up work to fight this case. Because of what she's done, everything that I've worked for that should have gone to my children is going to be handed to the RNLI. I do feel very strong and bitter about it."

Judge Bowles made the order after hearing that Mrs Young had "admitted having the assets in her hands" and that she had "held and partly dissipated them."

Judge Bowles approved charging orders of £82,243.10 to cover the shortfall in repayment plus interest, plus around another £38,825.65 in legal costs. The judge said a further £26,000 charging order for her costs bill had already been approved.

During the initial legal battle over Mr Cole’s estate, the High Court heard that he was worth around £300,000 when he passed away.

Mr Cole had named his only daughter as his main heir in 2008, but in a later will executed in 2012 he largely "disinherited her" in favour of his then girlfriend Angela Saunders.

His last will in 2013 - which he signed weeks before his death - left both women only £5,000 each, with nearly all of his assets going to the RNLI in honour of his former service "for the purpose of the upkeep of the Penarth lifeboat”.

Mr Cole told the lawyer who prepared his last will that he had been a crew member of the Penarth lifeboat "many years ago" and wanted the RNLI to get most of his wealth.

Daniel Burton, the RNLI's barrister, told the court there was a troubled history between father and daughter and that there had been some "fundamental disagreement" between them.

"The evidence is clear that his intention was to disinherit his daughter and he had already done that pursuant to his previous will," he added.

But Mrs Young said her dad had a history of drinking heavily and suggested he may have been deluded when his last will was executed.

"None of it makes any sense," she argued

A spokesman for the RNLI after an earlier hearing said: "Legacies such as those left by Mr Cole play a vital part in saving lives at sea and the charity is extremely grateful to anyone who leaves a gift in their will."