PM acts as Army widow’s £120,000 payout goes to pal
AN ARMY widow has been left without her husband’s £120,000 death-in-service payment after a military will made before the pair wed named a friend as the beneficiary.
Intelligence Corps Sergeant Andy Hughes, who was killed in a car crash in October, had indicated that his wife Charlotte, 27, should be the sole recipient of his estate in the event of his death.
But because of a military will the 33-year-old wrote prior to a tour of Afghanistan in 2013, the money was paid to his former colleague, Andrew Cooke, 30.
Mrs Hughes says she believed Mr Cooke would give her the money, but this has not happened. Theresa May has now intervened in the situation, asking Minister for Defence Veterans Mark Lancaster to investigate.
In a letter to Mrs Hughes, the Prime Minister wrote: “I was deeply sorry to learn of your husband’s tragic death and would like to offer my most sincere condolences.
“I was also very sorry to read of the difficulties you have faced in regard to the Armed Forces Pension Scheme.”
When Sgt Hughes originally suggested that his then girlfriend be nominated in 2013, she declined due to their relationship being in its early stages. This led Sgt Hughes to instead name Mr Cooke in the document.
However, the pair got engaged last June and married two months later. Shortly after their wedding, Sgt Hughes made a new military will in which he named his wife as the sole beneficiary.
Despite this, the money still ended up in Mr Cooke’s hands. It is believed he left the Army last year to retrain as a nurse and is working in the West Midlands. Mrs Hughes, who says she was close to Mr Cooke’s wife, has had no recent contact.
The assistant general secretary of the Forces Pensions Society, Hugo Fletcher, said he had given Mrs Hughes his support.
He added: “This issue is a ticking time bomb and affects people across the Army, Navy and Air Force.” Mr Cooke was not available for comment.