Sons of tycoon who killed their mother sue for divorce payout
TWO sons of a multi-millionaire who murdered his wife as they divorced are suing him for £1.5 million.
They claim it is half the fortune their mother would have been owed had she still been alive.
The case has been brought by Ben and Nicholas Workman, two of Ian Workman’s sons, who welcomed his conviction for killing their mother Susan, 55, in April 2011.
Their father, 63, is said to have left almost his entire £3.3 million fortune to the eldest of his three sons, Grant, 29, who had stood by him.
Workman, a car dealer, was jailed for life at Preston Crown Court in 2011. His wife of 35 years died from a stab wound to the heart after a frenzied row at the family home in Edworth, near Bolton.
Lawyers for Ben, 27, and Nicholas, 23, argue that if their father is allowed to keep the cash, he will have “profited” from murdering her.
But Workman, watching proceedings from his cell via video link, insists he didn’t kill his wife for money.
Stephen Killalea, the sons’ QC, told London’s Appeal Court how Workman snapped as the estranged couple rowed over the financial fallout from their divorce. Mrs Workman had been claiming a payout of around £1.5 million.
Carol Forrester, representing her murdered sister’s estate, is backing the sons’ claims.
Their legal team argue their father “would have been ordered to pay his wife some £1.5 million had the financial proceedings gone ahead” and are now claiming every penny, plus costs of around £500,000.
The brothers’ case reached the Appeal Court as Workman challenged a judgment for £1,503,579 that was entered against him in 2013. As part of an asset-freezing injunction, Workman had been ordered to disclose his wealth, but Mr Killalea said he made “no attempt at all” to comply with the order while “voluntarily dissipating virtually all his assets” to his eldest son.
His obstruction of the legal process had led to “horrendous delays” and caused “intense emotional strain” to Ben and Nicholas, the QC added, deepening the trauma they suffered.
The judges reserved their decision on Workman’s appeal.