A STAMP collector has handed his entire hoard worth £200,000 to his cleaner for just £1 and has cut his “disrespectful” step-daughter out of his will.
Ray Watts had previously wanted to split his estate among his family, but wrote a new will two years prior to his death aged 90 in 2021.
The bitter inheritance row ended up in a court battle with a judge now ruling in favour of Susan Pope, Mr Watts’ former cleaner.
Judge Gerald, sitting at the County Court in central London, has ruled Mr Watts’ will dated May 2, 2019 which made Mrs Pope the main beneficiary, is valid.
He dismissed the claims of Mr Watts’ step-daughter Beverley Neate, who had contested the validity of the will.
Mrs Neate had claimed he could not have intended to disinherit her in favour of leaving his fortune to Mrs Pope.
Mrs Pope, who also acted as his informal carer, purchased the £200,000 stamp collection for just £1.
Mrs Pope started working for Mr Watts in 2011, after he had posted an advertisement for a cleaner.
However, over the years, Mrs Pope became close friends with Mr Watts and shared in his hobby of philately, often taking him to stamp fairs across the country.
During the end of Mr Watts’ life, Mrs Neate began acting in ways that he described as being “disrespectful and distressing,” including changing the locks whilst he was ill in hospital.
Because of that behaviour, Mr Watts decided to alter his will and reduce Mrs Neate’s legacy from £15,000 to just £1.
The court heard Mr Watts had three children – Nicholas and Lesley Watts and Deborah Humphreys – by his first wife Madeline Watts before her death in 1995.
He then married Fay Watts, his second wife, in 1998, with her children Mrs Neate and sons Mark and Sean Brennan – becoming his stepkids before Fay died in 2011.
During his life, Mr Watts had been a clerk at Lloyds Bank, before devoting himself to stamp collecting and dealing.
Under a will written in 2007, Mr Watts intended to leave his estate, including his share of the family home in Great Waldingfield, near Sudbury, Suffolk, to his six children and stepchildren divided equally.
But a new will was created in 2019, after he had been admitted to hospital following a serious fall at home in which he had lain undiscovered for hours.
The new will left £15,000 to each of his three children and Mrs Neate, with the rest of an estate valued at about £250,000 going to Mrs Pope.
But Mr Watts then executed a codocil, a document altering the effect of a will, in 2020.
This change slashed Mrs Neate’s share to a “deliberately derisory” legacy.
Valued at up to £200,000 by Mrs Neate, his collection included stamps dating back as far as the 1840s.
Her barrister Nathan Wells said Mr Watts was “confused with a reduced level of consciousness” and there had been a “slowing of his thinking” when he was in hospital.
Mr Watts also told the court there was evidence of “significant” involvement of Mrs Pope in the making of the will, having asked solicitors to see Mr Watts in hospital.
He added: “In addition to the evidence of a failing mind and the evidence of significant beneficiary involvement, there were a number of other circumstances surrounding the making of the 2019 will which should excite the suspicion of the court.
“The terms of the 2019 will represented a radical change from the provisions of the 2007 will, which is recognised as a factor going to knowledge and approval.
“Because of the concerns about the deceased’s ‘failing mind’ and the obvious and substantial degree of beneficiary involvement, Mrs Pope also has to meet the stricter requirements for establishing knowledge and approval.
“Mrs Neate confirms it would have been very out of character for the deceased to do something as spiteful as leaving her a deliberately derisory legacy of £1 in his will.”
Representing Mrs Pope, Eleanor Clarke said: “This is a fantastic result for Sue after such a long, bitter and stressful battle.
“She is happy that Ray’s wishes for her and his children are finally being carried out.
“Sue was pleased with the kind comments from the Judge and wanted to thank everyone who has helped and supported her through the last difficult four years.”
