Dancing partner fights for lover’s riches

A PENSIONER suing for a share of her late dancing partner’s £1 million fortune has been told by his daughters that she was just one of many women courted by their father over the years.

Carole Anne Taylor, 70, met James Redmond at a jive-dancing event and claims they lived together as “man and wife” for seven years prior to his death.

However, Mrs Taylor was left with nothing after Mr Redmond’s death because his will, which was written 20 years ago, bequeathed his entire estate to his daughters. Mrs Taylor has now launched a legal challenge demanding a £325,000 stake from his fortune.

But his daughters, Jane Redmond, 54, and Lynn Leberknight, 51, say her claim is illegitimate, because Mr Redmond was not in an “exclusive” relationship with Mrs Taylor.

Speaking at Central London County Court, Mrs Redmond, of Ascot, Berks,

‘It wasn’t exclusive. It was common knowledge that my father had a house and a girlfriend in Somerset’

said: “It wasn’t exclusive. It was common knowledge that my father had a house and a girlfriend in Somerset.”

Mrs Taylor insisted that she had been the “lucky one” among his lovers, because she had been the only one to be invited to spend Christmas with the family. “We were very much in love,” she said “We didn’t need to be married. I was his partner and he was mine.”

Rory Brown, her barrister, said that Mr Redmond had given Mrs Taylor “assurances she would be provided for”, and she had a “legitimate expectation” that he would “honour” the promises.

William Richmond-coggan, acting on behalf of the daughters, said that Mrs Taylor’s relationship with their father was “not of the necessary character of exclusivity” to warrant a claim.

Judge Stephen Hockman QC said: “This is a sad dispute. It’s a great pity to see people, who I am sure are inherently decent people, falling out and accusing each other of lying.”

He will give his ruling on the case at a later date.