A dead agent's girlfriend found guilty of using a forged will to stop his estranged wife inheriting his £3m estate has had her conviction overturned by the Court of Appeal.
Gillian Clemo, 61, denied using a false document to deprive Helen John of a share of the estate of Chris John, a Cardiff agent who died in 2008 following a brain haemorrhage.
Three years ago Clemo was found guilty of using a false will and handed a fine and court bill of more than £8,000. But recently another copy of the disputed document was found, hidden in a London storage unit, leading the court to believe that the will was not forged after all.
The case had been complicated by uncertainties over the status of the relationship between the late agent and Clemo; they were living together at the time of his death.
Both believed the Johns had formally divorced in 2001 but it was only after the agent's death that it was realised the decree absolute had never been pronounced.
As a result his assets would be split between his long-estranged wife and daughter Isabelle - until the discovery of the will.
Comments
That poor woman if the will wasn't forged! Just goes to show, you should always be prepared for the worst case scenario.