Squabble over $5.7m property
The children of a scientist who helped free Arthur Allan Thomas are still fighting over his multimillion dollar estate more than five years after his death.
Dr Jim Sprott was 89 years old when he died in Auckland in 2014.
The forensic scientist rose to national prominence in the 1970s for his role in overturning Thomas’ conviction for the murders of Harvey and Jeanette Crewe.
He also achieved notoriety for his controversial theory on the cause of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), which he claimed was caused by toxic gases emanating from babies’ mattresses.
Sprott’s wife Marion died in 2008. His will stated that after his death, he wanted his home on Coombes Rd, in the leafy Auckland suburb of Remuera, to be sold and the profits split equally between his three children.
However, according to a judgment released on Thursday, the house is still owned by a family trust.
In 2017, Sprott’s daughter Lindsay Hoeberechts took her brother Adrian Sprott to the High Court, alleging he had failed to sell the property within a reasonable time frame.
She also claimed Adrian had used the property for personal and business use and sought to have Adrian removed as the executor of the will.
The spat is yet to be resolved and is still before the courts, according to court documents.
Hoeberechts claimed Adrian had abused his position as executor, had failed to follow valuation and real estate agent’s advice and that he and their sister Alison Sprott had sided together and shown ‘‘hostility’’ towards her.
She wanted access to information about the estate to determine what the total family wealth was.
In 2017, the property was valued at $4.4 million. But it is now worth an estimated $5.7m.
At a hearing at the High Court in Auckland late in 2019, Associate Judge Peter Andrew said there was evidence to suggest Adrian Sprott had ‘‘unrealistic price expectations ... [and] had ignored, contrary to his obligations, more realistic assessments from agents and possibly others’’.
While he could not determine whether Hoeberechts’ allegation that Adrian had failed to sell the property within a reasonable time frame was correct – as that was a matter for a separate civil hearing – the judge ruled Hoeberechts should be able to access documents relating to the marketing and sale of the Coombes Rd property beforehand.