Disgusting last act of cruel father who raped his daughter and beat his son
- Father removes children from will after abusing them
- The man raped his daughter and beat one of his sons
- Before he died, he changed his will to exclude them
A father who sexually, physically and emotionally abused his children has removed them from his will as a last act.
His three children, now grown, claim he was required by law to include them in his will, and took the case to New Zealand’s Supreme Court.
Their lawyer Lady Deborah Chambers, KC, said that after leaving the family home, they had no real contact with their father, including their mother.
The man had raped his daughter from the age of seven and had also beaten one of his sons.
A father who knew he was dying of cancer changed his will to exclude his three children, one of whom he raped and another whom he beat to make sure they couldn’t get their hands on his estate (stock image )
When the father was diagnosed with cancer, he changed his will in what the court ruled was an attempt to disinherit them by setting up a trust to take away the available assets. Stuff reported.
After he died in 2016, his estate included a property and stock believed to be worth about $780,000.
The beneficiaries of the trust he set up were the children of a woman with whom he had a brief relationship.
His children took the trustees to court and succeeded in proving that their father had committed an intentional act to avoid the obligations he owed them to the Supreme Court, but the Court of Appeal ultimately ruled against them.
They have now asked the Supreme Court to rule that his fiduciary duty to them continued into adulthood.
When he died in 2016, his estate, believed to be about $780,000, was left in a trust he set up for the children of a woman with whom he had a brief relationship and friendship (stock image)
The court heard that seven wills were drawn up between 2001 and 2015, and before finalizing his last one, he made it clear to his lawyer that he wanted the trust to prevent his family from getting his hands on his assets.
Ms Chambers told the court that the children had a right to expect that he would not exclude them from his will and estate.
“He deliberately intended to do so and was unfaithful and continued to do wrong,” said Ms Chambers.
Andrew Steele, the trustees’ attorney, stated that he could find no other case where a fiduciary duty continued after a relationship was over.
The trustees will argue that the father had no obligation to his adult children and that he could do whatever he wanted with his assets.
The case will be completed on Wednesday.
*The names of each of the parties have been omitted.