Family Solicitors

A woman who left her elderly father alone to go on holiday to Tenerife is challenging his will in the High Court, after he left his house to her sister.

The Evening Standard newspaper reports that 61-year-old Anita Bailey became “fed up” with having to act as carer to her 88-year-old father Alfred Bailey and left him at home without food or care while she caught a flight to the Canary Islands for a holiday.

The High Court heard that Ms Bailey had sacked her father’s housekeeper – who went to check on him two days after losing her job and found him in a distressed state after Miss Bailey had abandoned him to go on holiday.

As a result the women’s father – a retired publican from Balham in southwest London – changed his will and left his Sussex house worth £400,000 to Ms Bailey’s elder sister Pauline Dandy, 67, instead.

Ms Bailey is now challenging the will on the grounds that when her father changed it in 2013, he did not have the mental capacity to understand what he was doing.

Mr Bailey had made the previous will in 2009 and had left the house to her.

Ms Bailey alleges her sister brought “undue influence” to bear on their father – however, Mrs Dandy claims that their father decided to change the will of his accord.

The hearing continues.

Duncan Lewis Family Solicitors

Duncan Lewis family solicitors can advise on a wide range of family matters, including wills and trusts and family mediation, as well as Islamic wills and family matters.

Duncan Lewis offer competitively priced services for advising on divorce, separation and dissolution of a civil partnership – and can also advise on child care matters such as adoption, surrogacy, child care arrangements and children taken into Local Authority care.

For expert legal advice on family law, call Duncan Lewis family solicitors on 020 7923 4020.