‘IT’S ALL LIES!’
The father of RAAF mechanic Daniel Leverton has slammed claims that his hardworking son was going to marry the girlfriend who has inherited the bulk of his $451,500 estate. ‘They were never going to get married,’ Geoff Leverton says. ‘When Daniel found out about her past, he tried to break it off. She wouldn’t hear of it [and the relationship carried on]. ‘Daniel and I were very close. He confided in me. At Christmas, he was very upset because he couldn’t get rid of her. He couldn’t escape the relationship. ‘That’s why I think Kirsty’s mum’s comments [that they had planned to marry] are laughable.’ Geoff explains Daniel purposefully tried to keep his two daughters away from Kirsty because she didn’t see much of her own children. The devoted dad lived for his girls, aged 11 and eight, and made his ex-partner Angela Watson executor of his will, knowing everything he’d worked for would go to them.
‘We were together for about 15 years,’ Angela says. ‘We separated in December 2012, but there was no bitterness or anything between us.
‘Whenever Daniel wanted to see the girls, he would just pop in and he would have them for the whole weekend, every other weekend.
‘We stayed very close – we were best friends. We still spent Christmases together at his mum’s house in Coffs Harbour. We just couldn’t make us work as a couple.
‘The girls and I moved back into Daniel’s house in December 2013, because my lease was running out. And he said: “Well, why don’t you come back here?” because he was going overseas.
‘He said: “We’ll put your things in the garage.”
‘We lived there until April 2014, by which time he had come back from wherever he was, and we stayed there with him for about another month.’
However, after Daniel’s sudden death on a surfing trip in 2015, Kirsty lodged a claim with Militarysuper, and it was decided she deserved the lion’s share of the 40-year-old’s estate – essentially overruling the clear instructions left in Daniel’s will.
Kirsty inherited $352,170, while the airman’s two daughters were given just $49,644 each.
The loved ones of RAAF mechanic Daniel Leverton have revealed why the doting dad would be ‘turning in his grave’
‘It’s wrong, it’s very, very wrong,’ Geoff tells New Idea.
‘Kirsty started looking into this straight away, after Daniel was buried. When Angela went around to the house and asked to do an inventory – whose property was whose – she could not get access.
‘And a week after that, Kirsty cleaned out the house of her and Daniel’s belongings, including Daniel’s car, musical equipment, furniture. She went to an address but we were unable to contact her there.’
In a statement, Kirsty’s solicitor said: ‘When the Militarysuper decision was originally handed down, our client made an offer to the mother of Mr Leverton’s children, via her solicitor, to gift a significant sum to the children from the benefit she was due to receive.
‘This offer... was never accepted by the mother of the children.’
Geoff says they declined Kirsty’s offer on legal advice.
‘The worst case scenario should have been a three-way split,’ he says.
Angela adds: ‘Daniel would be furious. He would absolutely be turning in his grave.
‘He had never really spoken about her, apart from he was seeing a girl named Kirsty. But it was nothing serious.’
Geoff and Angela have fought tooth and nail to have Daniel’s will recognised.
‘We’ve appealed it three times,’ Angela says. ‘They wouldn’t let us appeal any further. I just woke up one morning and the money had been paid. There’s nothing more I can do about it.’
Angela still finds it painful to talk about Daniel’s death, but she’s speaking out as she doesn’t want any other children to suffer the same fate as her own. Angela blames Militarysuper for the outcome, as the will was arranged by the defence force.
‘As far as Daniel knew, everything was taken care of.
‘The point of us coming out with this story is that something needs to change to protect kids in these circumstances,’ she says.
‘I’m heartbroken for my children. We can’t get anything changed now. What’s done has been done.
‘But if we can protect other people from going through the same thing, it’s been worth it.’ NI