Woman who caught ex in bed with lover wins half of £2.5m estate he’d bought
A BUSINESSWOMAN who caught her millionaire boyfriend in bed with his lover has won her court battle over their £2.5million mansion.
Dr Chris Rowland, 65, and business exec Sharon Blades, 63, clashed in court over who owns the house he paid £1.6million for in 2009.
Finance expert Dr Rowland was raking in lavish salaries and bonuses.
But Ms Blades was heartbroken a few months later when she found he was having an affair.
He continued to see both women for more than a year.
Ms Blades said she was “ripped apart” after finding him in bed with rival Emmanuelle Duyck.
Judge William Hansen said: “In 2011, Ms Blades dropped in unexpectedly and found him in bed with his new partner. There was an altercation that resulted in Ms Blades accepting a police caution for assaulting the new partner and Dr Rowland accepting a restraining order preventing contact with either woman for four weeks.”
Their split led to a High Court battle, with Dr Rowland saying he had sole ownership of the property. The pair, who started a relationship in 2006, planned to use nine-bed “Italianate villa” Tadmarton House, near Banbury, Oxon, as a weekend and holiday retreat.
But claiming half herself, Ms Blades said he had told her he “looked forward to growing old with her”, her QC Thomas Roe told the court.
Judge Hansen ruled she has an equal share despite her ex paying all the purchase price. He said Dr Rowland would “regret his generosity”, having put the home in their joint names.
Ms Blades said she did not contribute to the purchase price but spent lavish amounts on the house in later years.
But in a twist, she was ordered to pay her ex £59,958 in back rent after she “effectively” barred him and his partner from the villa for six years until 2015, when he stopped seeing Ms Duyck.
Dr Rowland had asked for sole ownership and £371,000 back rent.
However, Judge Hansen ruled the 24-acre Cotswolds property was jointly held and that Dr Rowland should pay 90 per cent of Ms Blades’ court costs on top of his own.