Daughter of inventor who designed parts of Harrier jump jet sues her builder cousin after claiming he ‘exploited’ her dementia-hit mother to inherit slice of £2.5m family fortune
- Candice Harrison, 63, is daughter of aeronautical inventor Arthur Harrison
- She is suing her cousin who has inherited £400k of the family fortune
- Ms Harrison is claiming Jonathan Greenwood ‘poisoned’ her mother’s mind
An inventor’s daughter is suing her cousin claiming he poisoned her ailing mother’s mind to inherit a slice of the £2.5million family fortune.
Candice Harrison, 63, is the daughter of aeronautical inventor Arthur Harrison, who helped create the parachute component for the Harrier Jump Jet’s ejector.
When Arthur died in 2010 he left all his wealth, including his share of the £1.2million family home in Surrey, to wife Julie Harrison, Candice’s mother.
Julie then died in 2020 aged 89, leaving an estate valued at over £2.5million. In her will the passionate animal lover, who had a special fondness for foxes, handed cash to various pet charities.
She left only child Candice the family home, Appleyard Cottage in Camberley, plus substantial assets.
However, under the same 2017 will, her builder cousin, Jonathan Greenwood, 61, got £400,000 tax free.
Candice is now suing her cousin over the legacy, claiming her mother was pressured into leaving almost a fifth of her fortune to him after she had become frail and he ‘played on and exploited her deteriorating condition’.
Her barrister said Julie was too mentally frail to understand what she was signing when she made her last will – claiming it came about because of ‘undue influence’ by Jonathan.
Candice Harrison (left) outside the High Court after a hearing in the dispute with her cousin Jonathan Greenwood over the will of her mother Julie Harrison
Under the 2017 will, Candice’s builder cousin, Jonathan Greenwood, 61, got £400,000 tax free
Julie died in 2020 aged 89, leaving an estate valued at over £2.5million – she left only child Candice the family home, Appleyard Cottage in Camberley, plus substantial assets
Aeronautical inventor Arthur Harrison, who helped create the parachute component for the Harrier Jump Jet’s ejector
At London’s High Court Candice’s barrister, Owen Curry, said that despite being wealthy after she inherited her husband’s money, Julie was vulnerable and had begun to develop dementia in 2013.
He told judge Deputy Master Katherine McQuail that due to her dementia Mrs Harrison ‘could not have handled large sums of money’ and by 2018 some of her funds were being paid out to her by a family trust.
When she made her last will in 2017, she was too mentally frail to understand what she was signing, the barrister said, claiming that the new will came about because of ‘undue influence’ by Jonathan, who he claimed poisoned Julie’s mind against her daughter.
‘Candice’s case is that from late 2016 – if not before – Mr Greenwood began playing on and exploiting Mrs Harrison’s deteriorating capacity in order to persuade her wrongly that her daughter was treating her unfairly, was only interested in money, was unfairly preventing her from managing her own affairs and was, for example, contemplating selling her house to put Mrs Harrison in a care home,’ he told the judge.
‘His aim in all this, says Candice, was to obtain a significant legacy from her.’
‘She had a fixed idea that she would be forced out of her home, which was something she didn’t want to happen,’ he continued.
‘That was encouraged by Jonathan Greenwood who said that Candice would have control over the house and would sell the house.’
Candice blames her cousin for her late mother having formed ‘fixed’ but false ideas about her ‘having designs on her home and preventing her from feeding the foxes,’ Mr Curry said.
He told the judge: ‘There is clear evidence of a campaign over several years in which Mr Greenwood secretly preyed on his aunt’s concerns in order to execute documents whose primary aim was to ensure he obtained £400,000 tax free on her death.’
Candice now wants the judge to overturn the 2017 will, which would mean her mother’s fortune would all go to her under the terms of a previous will, save for various legacies totalling £32,000 which were earmarked for charities.
She says she has ‘positive evidence’ of undue influence on the part of her cousin in the making of the will, part of which comes from footage Candice captured, having set up a video camera in her mother’s home to monitor strangers visiting.
At London’s High Court Candice’s barrister, Owen Curry, said that despite being wealthy after she inherited her husband’s money, Julie was vulnerable and had begun to develop dementia in 2013 (stock image)
‘Mr Greenwood was repeatedly encouraging Mrs Harrison to believe that Candice was acting wrongly and would not care for her in the future,’ said her barrister.
‘There was in fact no wrongdoing by Candice.
‘She accepts that she and her mother had occasional difficulties and arguments but they were ultimately mother and daughter, with a usual loving relationship, and Candice wanted to look after and protect her mother.’
Candice – who took her mother into her home for the last six months of her life – had also helped her practically by paying her bills and sorting out her cash affairs, he said.
Candice Harrison said after the hearing that fighting the case has left her an emotional and financial wreck, costing her over £300,000 so far.
‘It has just ripped the heart out of me,’ she explained. ‘It ruined me financially and destroyed some emotional part of me.
‘All this totally ruined the whole grieving process. The person that I loved I lost a long time ago because she went over to the dark side a long time ago.’
Mr Curry told the judge that Candice’s claim has gone unopposed by Mr Greenwood, who did not attend the court hearing.
The judge has now reserved her ruling in the case.
Source: Read Full Article
