AS Jill Langley walked through the cemetery to lay flowers on her mother’s gravestone, a simple wooden cross caught her eye.
Nestled among the pieces of new graves and covered in weeds, something made Jill take a closer look – and what she saw filled her with horror.
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Jill was distraught when she saw her father’s grave with a simple cross Credit: John McLellan
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Jill took the ‘stepmother’ she never met to courtCredit: John McLellan
Her father Robert Harrington’s name was carved into the wood.
He had been dead for almost two months – and less than a year after he married a woman 39 years his junior.
His widow Guixiang Qin – who went by the name Chelsea – did not tell Jill that her 94-year-old father had passed away.
Jill, 70, said: “I couldn’t think when I saw the cross – I had such a sense of shock.
“Dad had been dead for weeks – and dumped in a cheap grave.”
It got worse when Jill, a former antiques dealer, discovered she had been left out of her father’s will.
The new document, drawn up just weeks before former butcher Robert died of sepsis, left everything to Qin, 54, and her student son.
Furious, Jill took the case to court and, at an extraordinary hearing, it was revealed that Qin had taken more than £300,000 from Robert’s account – even withdrawing the money after his death.
This month, Qin was stripped of the right to manage Robert’s estate.
The judge declared it ‘inappropriate’ saying the document was ‘obtained by undue influence’.
We inherited an amazing huge farm from a relative we NEVER knew existed – and it’s worth a real fortune
Qin was also found to have acted with a ‘significant element of impropriety’ and Robert was found to have suffered from paranoia in his old age.
The only Jill says her battle with Qin has “never been about money” but the fact that her entire family, including her beloved mum Eileen, have worked hard over the years to build a successful family butcher shop.
She said: “I realized I had two choices – either let this woman walk away with everything my family had worked for or do something about it.
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Chinese-born Qin took at least £300,000 from Robert’s accountCredit: Champion News
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Robert died less than a year after marrying Qin – and changing his will Credit: Champion News
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Jill said the family worked hard to help build her father’s business Credit: John McLellan
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Former butcher owns £595,000 home Credit: John McLellan
“My dear mom was just a small person, but over the years she worked very hard for her dad, like me, and for my cousin and uncle.
“The whole family contributed to the success of the business, and it was not right that it all belonged to a stranger who thought he could handle everything.
“She left my dad after the funeral which cost around £600 and tried to carry on with his money.”
Despite being stripped of her right to manage Robert’s estate, as his wife, Qin is still entitled to thousands of pounds.
Now Jill, from Downham Market, Norfolk, is joining the campaign to protect the elderly from ‘predatory marriage’.
She joined forces with another victim Daphne Franks whose 91-year-old mother Joan Blass married a 67-year-old man who inherited her £200,000 fortune.
I couldn’t let her leave with everything
Jill Langley
Joan, who had dementia and cancer, married Colman Folan, then 67, in a ceremony just months before she died in 2016 – meaning her existing will was void and her children did not receive nothing.
Daphne campaigned for a change in the law whereby marriages take precedence over all existing wills.
Like Jill, her mother was buried without dignity – in Otley, West Yorkshire.
Daphne, 68, from Newcastle, said: “There is no headstone where mum is buried. It used to have a number, but now it’s gone.
“The mound of grass on which she lies is just a sign of injustice towards our family.
“I don’t think many people know that wills are canceled when someone gets married. This makes it easier for predators to get hold of people’s properties.
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Joan Blass married a man she met at her garden gate Credit: Justice for Joan
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Coleman Folan failed to place a headstone on Joan’s graveCredit: Ben Lack
“I have spoken to dozens and dozens of people whose relatives were victims of predatory marriages and registrars who say they are threatened with legal action for honeymoon expenses or even violence if they challenge the wedding.”
Jill’s anxiety began when her mother Eileen died in 2018 aged 89 and her dad Robert began exhibiting worrying behavior which Central London District Court accepted was a form of paranoid delusion.
Robert accused his daughter of stealing horses and a photo album from his £595,000 four-bedroom house in King’s Lynn.
He also mistakenly believed that he was a senior officer in the army and grew increasingly angry with Jill.
Shock letter
Unable to deal with Robert’s mood swings and increasing aggression, Jill withdrew, but told her dad that she would always be there if he needed her.
Then, in May 2020, a bombshell letter arrived that would turn Jill’s life upside down.
Through the door she got a note from a woman named ‘Chelsea’ which read: “Just letting you know your dad remarried last year.”
Jill said: “I had no idea who Chelsea was, never mind that Dad got married. I wondered if it was some sick joke and rushed to my dad’s house, but no one was there.
“It was also like Fort Knox, with fences and gates and surveillance TV cameras.”
Jill revealed that Qin moved into her father’s home in February 2019, a month after she met him.
Robert proposed in April of that year and they were married at the registrar’s office with a random builder as a witness.
The court heard that Robert was so weak he could not stand for a picture on his wedding day – and could not pronounce his bride’s name correctly.
Eleven months later, in July 2020, Jill saw his wooden headstone near her mother’s in a cemetery in King’s Lyn.
Lost valuables
She said: “I saw this little wooden cross covered in weeds near all the new graves and I went to look at it.
“When I saw the name, my first feeling was shock. Dad was married and buried, and I didn’t know the woman.
“I knew what it was about – money.
“I can’t even put a tombstone on his grave because it’s owned by Qin. She said that she did not want to do anything more on his grave because he was a modest man and that she would do it when she had time. Nothing happened in four years.
“I can’t go to my dad’s house either and I’m not entitled to any sentimental items. My mom wanted me to have her jewelry, and my cousin Christopher’s dad, who was in a Japanese camp during World War II, gave my family a pocket watch which has never been seen.
“As soon as Dad died, Qin sold his Mercedes car, camper and four-wheel drive. There are quite a few things in the house that I believe have been sold.”
Earlier this year, Jill took Qin to Central London District Court where her father’s will was annulled.
Now she has won a case that removes her ‘stepmother’ from the role of executor of the will.
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A simple cross marks the spot where Robert is buried Credit: John McLellan
She admits the cases have taken a “significant toll” on her emotions and claims Qin lied about how bad her dad was.
Jill said: “Qin claimed to be a lawyer and said her father was a judge in China but she worked in Wetherspoons and an Italian restaurant which she claimed she only worked to improve her English.
“The bottom line was that she didn’t need her dad’s money, but nothing made sense. Why would a legal professional work in a pub?
What is predatory marriage?
Predatory marriage became an accepted concept when the Joan Blass case was presented in parliament.
It is not a legal term, but it covers circumstances where a vulnerable person is lured into a wedding for money.
Under the current laws, drawn up in 1837, marriage challenges almost all existing wills.
The surviving spouse is entitled to a share of at least £270,000 of the estate, with any remaining money shared between them and any children.
In many cases, elderly people with dementia are forced to make new wills that leave their partners even more money.
Family members who take cases to court must prove that their loved ones were not just easy prey because of their mental state, but that something sinister is afoot.
The process is expensive and families can spend years tied up in legal red tape.
“She said her dad pushed her money and gifts, but he was from a generation that didn’t have much and money ruled his life. He didn’t even pay me for the hours I worked in his butcher shop and bought yellow labels in supermarkets.”
In court, Qin claimed she met “sweet” Robert after he placed an ad in a newspaper offering free food and drink over Christmas 2018 and they just fell in love.
Jill said: “I believe she was Dad’s carer and she took advantage of him.
“Putting an ad for free food in the paper is not something Dad would do. She also said he was happy and dancing and had two arthritic knees and a weak back.”
Although Jill feels vindicated by the court’s decision, she spent thousands of pounds fighting Qin and now wants people to be more aware of the dangers to older people.
Her and Daphne’s fight is backed by legal team Rothley Law and Labor MP Fabian Hamilton, who will raise the issue in parliament.
The politician said: “It is estimated that thousands of elderly and vulnerable people could be affected and it is time to tackle this injustice at its source.”
How to get a power of attorney
Disputes over inheritance have torn families apart.
Disputes over wills are becoming more common, with an estimated 10,000 occurring each year in England and Wales.
Specialist lawyers say the departure of the wealthy boomer generation and the rise in dementia diagnoses are fueling financially devastating and emotionally draining legal battles.
There is an option for people who want to predetermine their wishes.
You can give someone you trust legal authority to make decisions on your behalf if you are no longer able to do so.
There are two types – one for financial decisions and one for health and care – and you can set up a durable power of attorney for both.
You can only create it if you have the mental capacity to do so.
so they were not under pressure, but that is not necessarily permanent.
The system is overseen by the Public Guardian’s Office and you don’t need a lawyer to create it.
Health LPAs can only be used if you lose mental capacity, but financially they can kick in sooner if you want.
For more information, visit www.gov.uk/power-of-attorney
Jill’s solicitor Andrew Bishop of Rothley Law said: “Predatory marriages are very easy and tricky for fraudsters.
“The current law on wills is outdated and dates back to 1837, and it urgently needs to be updated.
“There is no real protection around marriages and motives are rarely questioned at ceremonies. Those who are vulnerable or have dementia can come forward without any red flags unless you ask the right questions, and the signs are often missed.”
- Do you know someone who has become a victim of marriage fraud? Contact [email protected]
Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: HIS Education