A pensioner who was left out of his father’s £2.4 million fortune because he was an ‘unwanted war baby’ has won his High Court fight for a piece of the family fortune.
Colin Johnston told the High Court hearing that his parents had always favoured his younger brother Gary and had purchased manorial titles for himself, his wife and Gary’s family including his two children to make them Lords and Ladies, but left Mr Johnston was left with his existing title.
He had worked diligently for his father for more than 30 years until a major disagreement in 1991. His mother had also previously blamed her son for her failure to become a Hollywood film star.
Mr Johnston said his parents’ hostility towards him stemmed from his being ‘an unwanted war baby’ born in 1942 while his dad was serving in the RAF.
His mother, Lady Elsie died in 2013 and his younger brother Gary died three years later. Then when his father, Lord Sidney died in 2017 he left his entire fortune to Gary’s daughter Lady Natalie Wackett.
Lord Sidney left had a gross fortune of around £2.4 million with a net value after expenses of around £1.4 million.
Mr Johnston sued his niece, the executor of the estate, on the basis that the will failed to make reasonable provision for him despite his father leading him to believe that he would inherit something on his death.
He initially claimed £870,000, but later revised that figure to the £125,000, which judge Edwin Johnson QC agreed to award him.
Judge Johnson ruled that Mr Johnston deserved “reasonable provision” from his father’s fortune, despite the dead millionaire’s animosity towards his eldest son.
He agreed that there was “something fundamentally wrong from an early stage” in the relationship between the claimant and his parents.
The Judge said: “Sidney had made a decision that Colin should inherit nothing from him by 1976 – if not from an earlier date.
“I very much regret that it seems that what Sidney intended for his property and what he gave Colin to understand, were two very different things. I do make the finding that, in this respect, Colin was misled by his father.
“I continue to find it remarkable, and somewhat inexplicable, that a man should treat his son in this way, and that a man should favour one son over the other as Sidney favoured Gary over Colin.”