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Ex-wife of gambler goes to court to increase divorce settlement four years after his death (24 April 2015)

Date: 24/04/2015
Duncan Lewis, Legal News Solicitors, Ex-wife of gambler goes to court to increase divorce settlement four years after his death

The former wife of a gambler who died four years’ ago has returned to the High Court to increase her divorce settlement from £750,000 to £1 million.

The Evening Standard newspaper reports that Penny Ann Davison, 59, was Albert Davison’s second wife. Mrs Davison fought a four-year battle with her ex-husband and was awarded £750,000 after a judge found that the notorious gambler had squandered millions of pounds of his winnings.

Mr Davison died in 2011 aged 73 two years after the ruling – and left a country estate in Surrey worth £4.25m.

Mrs Davison had started divorce proceedings in 2005, having married Mr Davison in 1994 after a five-year relationship. They separated in 1999, however, after having two children together.

High Court judge Mrs Justice Bacon had ordered Mr Davison to pay Mrs Davison’s divorce settlement of £756,000 out of the country estate.

At the time, Mrs Justice Bacon told the court that Albert Davison was “the master of the betting coup”.

“I found the husband to be a charming rogue,” she told the court.

“I liked him. Despite that, I consider that he is a shrewd and a manipulative individual, who told me many untruths.”

A later court hearing heard that Mr Davison had placed the family racing stables and the matrimonial home in a complex network of offshore trusts and companies.

Mrs Davison’s legal representative now claims that Mr Davison’s death reduced his tax liability – the court heard that he had agreed a deal with HMRC to reduce a £2m tax demand, which entitled his ex-wife to an “uplift” which would take her divorce settlement to more than £1m.

However, lawyers for Mr Davison’s trusts say that after his debts and his wife’s settlement of £756,000 are paid, just £200,000 remains in the trust.

Mr Davison’s his daughter from his first marriage, racehorse trainer Zoe Davison – has claimed that her former stepmother is attempting to “grab” the remainder of her father’s money.

Ms Davison is not a party to the case, but said that she had been left with just £200,000 from her father’s estate and her ex-stepmother was trying to “mine out” the last remains of her own inheritance.

It is reported Ms Davison told Mrs Davison and her legal team:

“That’s all I’ve got left now – a measly £200,000. I hope you people are proud of yourselves.”

A judgment will take place at a later hearing.

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