Lymington father-and-son Mark and David Pidsley in High Court battle over £5 million estate of Joan Sutcliffe

A former secretary of the Lymington Branch of the Royal British Legion has denied accusations he forged the £5m will of a wealthy and "vulnerable" widow in order to pocket her estate.

Mark Pidsley, who just last year hosted the Lymington Society’s annual garden party, faced claims when he appeared at the High Court in London that he "lied" and created false documents in a bid to inherit the multimillion-pound fortune of artist and former air hostess Joan Sutcliffe, writes Richard Gittins.

Her estate, which included a home in Lymington and two others in Putney and France, was valued at over £5m, and had largely been left to stepdaughter Bridget Spencer and her children under a will Joan made out in 2011.

Joan died in September 2020 aged 90, and a new will and letter of wishes, dated 25th March 2019, effectively left all her property and wealth in England to Mr Pidsley and his son David.

Mr Pidsley was a neighbour of Joan's in Lymington, and the court heard that when Mr Pidsley made his "sudden" appearance in Joan’s life in 2018 she had become "vulnerable" and "isolated", and had begun to "experience forgetfulness".

Mrs Spencer is suing both Mr Pidsley and his son as executors of Joan's estate, claiming the 2019 will is "a forgery and a false document" which "in all probability" was created by the accused.

However, Mr Pidsley and his son strongly deny any allegations of dishonesty and are bringing their own court claim, seeking to uphold the 2019 will which they insist was valid and reflected Joan's last wishes.

Papers lodged with the court by Mrs Spencer's barrister Fay Collinson say that Joan had divided her time between her house in Lymington and her home in London when she was in the UK.

"In around 2018, Joan began to experience forgetfulness and difficulties with her short-term memory,” she said. “She also started to suffer from social isolation and loneliness.”

The court heard that Joan's GP had recorded her as being a "vulnerable adult" in February 2018.

"In around late 2018, Mrs Spencer and her family became concerned about the sudden presence of Mark Pidsley in Joan's daily life,” Ms Collinson continued.

"Mrs Spencer learned from Joan that, whilst visiting her Lymington property, she experienced car trouble.

"Mark Pidsley, who lived nearby but with whom Joan has no previous substantive relationship or acquaintance, offered to drive Joan from Lymington to Putney.

"Mark Pidsley, whom Joan had never mentioned to Mrs Spencer, friends or neighbours before, then proceeded to stay at Joan's home in Putney for several days.

"Joan told Mrs Spencer that, during this visit, Mr Pidsley arranged repair of her car, took her to medical appointments and began considering her private and confidential paperwork."

Mrs Spencer was "shocked" by Joan's report and emailed a friend of Joan's, "setting out her concerns".

The friend replied, saying Joan had become "very vulnerable" and, after visiting, subsequently reported that Mr Pidsley was now "looking after" her.

A document appointing Mr Pidsley as an attorney overseeing Joan's health and welfare affairs was made out some months afterwards, and in March 2019 a new will and letter of wishes was drawn up, putting almost all of Joan's fortune in the UK into a trust for the benefit of Mr Pidsley and his family.

Mr Pidsley and his son David were also appointed executors of her estate, as well as trustees of the will trust.

Under Joan's previous 2011 will, her apartment in the Cote D'Azur and £10,000 cash was left to Mrs Spencer outright, with the rest divided between Mrs Spencer and her three children, Rebecca Spencer, Victoria Turan and Harry Spencer, in equal shares.

The barrister went on to claim there is evidence that the 2019 will and letter of wishes were forgeries and are not valid.

She claimed that two acquaintances of Mr Pidsley's, Simon Parker and Marie Pollack, whose names are down as witnesses to the 2019 will, have now come forward to say they did not knowingly sign it in Joan's presence or at all.

The pair said they remember being asked to sign a power of attorney by Mr Pidsley, but not a will.

They also said they were later asked by Mr Pidsley to sign a letter setting out "a fictitious set of events" verifying that they had witnessed the will in Joan's presence.

The two refused to be “embroiled in the deception”, the court heard, and Mr Pidsley allegedly told Mr Parker that he had done “an awful lot” for him and was “calling on him to do this”.

Ms Collinson said the 2019 will is fraudulent because Joan did not sign it in the presence of Mr Parker and Ms Pollack, and that the will executed by Joan in 2011 is her “last true will”.

Brie Stevens-Hoare KC, representing Mr Pidsley and his son, in court papers denied all the allegations and insisted the will was valid, having been “properly executed by Joan in the presence of Mr Parker and Ms Pollack”.

She accused Mrs Spencer of making allegations "which are speculative, spurious, without any pleaded factual basis or particulars".

"It is denied the claimants, either individually or collectively, had any role in creating a false document or in the preparation or execution of the 2019 will," she said.

"The 2019 will was properly executed by Joan in the presence of Mr Parker and Ms Pollack."

The barrister said Mr Pidsley had known Joan as a neighbour for more than 40 years and that his son knew her from meeting in the town and at social events.

The case is set to return to court at a later date.