Brother jailed after forging mother’s will
A JEALOUS brother who forged his mother’s will in a desperate bid to get more money than his successful businessman older sibling, began a four-year jail term last night.
Stewart Caygill, 53, raided Theresa Caygill’s account – then created fake testimony to make himself the main beneficiary of her £126,000 estate.
But his brother, Philip, 54, a property executive, realised the will was bogus because the signature looked nothing like his mother’s handwriting and his name had been spelled incorrectly as “Phillip”.
Solicitors initially rebuffed his claims and rubber-stamped the will.
But the amateur sleuth passed evidence to police and the deceit unravelled. Now company director Stewart Caygill – who once charged his mother £4,000 for cutting the grass at her three-bedroomed home in Horden, Durham – has been convicted of forgery at Teesside Crown Court.
Judge Deborah Sherwin told him: “I am unable to believe a word you say about anything – you are scheming, devious, deceitful and opportunistic.”
Mrs Caygill, who was 84 when she died in December 2013, was left a half-share of the family house in her late husband William’s will, while her two sons received 25 per cent each.
Had the forged document not been proved false it would have seen the grandmother of four’s majority share then handed to Stewart Caygill.
Philip, 54, said last night: “My mum was PA at a big company and would never allow a letter to leave the office without the i’s being dotted and the t’s being crossed. There is no way on earth she would have got the spelling of my name wrong.”
He added: “My mum told me he was stealing from her for years beforehand, but he threatened to stop cutting the grass and her seeing his daughter. At her age, she could not face all the trouble and told me not to do anything about it.”