Siblings cut out of £300,000 inheritance in row over parrot
THREE siblings whose stepmother cut them out of her £300,000 will so her biological son could care for her parrot after she died have launched a legal fight to win back their inheritance.
Train driver Ian Mclean, 62, and his two siblings were cut out when their dead father Reginald’s second wife, Maureen, changed her will in 2019 to leave all the couple’s wealth to their son, Brett Mclean.
Reginald and Maureen had previously made wills in 2017 splitting all their wealth four ways between their son Brett, who goes by the title Lord of Hastings, and his step-siblings from Reginald’s first marriage: Ian, Sean and their sister Lorraine Pomeroy.
Reginald had “trusted his wife implicitly” and believed there was “no way” she would cut out her stepchildren after he died. But following his death, Maureen changed her will to leave everything to her son, who describes himself online as “chairman, consultant, patron, trustee and president of national, regional and local busi- ness, charitable and voluntary organisations”.
Last year, Brett Mclean, 48, was sued by his stepsiblings in a bid to force him to split the inheritance between all four.
But he claimed his mother left him her house in St Leonards, East Sussex, primarily so that he could “continue to provide care for her green Amazonian orange winged parrot”.
Recorder Graeme Robertson handed victory to Brett at Central London County Court, ruling that while Maureen “may have been morally bound” not to cut out her stepchildren after her husband’s death, she was not legally bound. However, that finding is now being challenged on appeal at the High Court by Brett’s stepsiblings.
The judge, Sir Anthony Mann, reserved his decision on the case to be given at a later date.