Woman who fell to her death from tower block ‘was suing celebrity antiques dealer ex for their £2.7m London home'

Scottish Sun

2 days ago

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A MUM who fell to her death from a tower block was entangled in a bitter legal battle with her celebrity antiques dealer fiance over their £2.7million London home.
Rachel O'Hare was tragically pronounced dead at the scene in the heart of Manchester on Monday, June 30, after falling to her death.
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Rachel O'Hare died after falling from a building in the heart of Manchester on June 30
Credit: Facebook
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She had co-founded a charity which worked with vulnerable women living in refuges
Credit: Facebook
As reported by the Mail, the 49-year-old was suing her ex-lover Owen Pacey, 60, over their £2.7million four-bedroom London home.
Tributes poured in for the widely-respected charity fundraiser, who co-founded a group which worked to help vulnerable women in refuges.
Her charity Elle for Elle aimed to support women in need with basic toiletries and beauty products, with the charity's work said to have been praised in Westminster.
She is also believed to have held a role with The Cheshire Magazine, coordinating charity events both in the Cheshire area and further afield.
O'Hare died just four days after a hearing in a bitter property dispute with her fiance at Leeds Combined Court on June 26.
The mum-of-three had stated in legal documents that she paid for the Wilkes Street home using divorce settlement funds and a loan, and that it was rightfully hers.
She claimed: 'The first defendant said he had no money to contribute when the property was purchased but would be able to pay the claimant for his share in due course.'
She also alleged that Mr Pacey later locked her out of the house, refused to pay bills, and threatened to 'trash' the interior of their luxury London home.
The glam pad was said to be filled with Italian chandeliers, designer furniture, and swanky art.
Mr Pacey, a self-made antique fireplace dealer has boasted a celebrity client list including Mick Jagger, Naomi Campbell and Kate Winslet.
Woman who died after 'falling from UK city building' is pictured as tributes paid to 'widely-respected' charity worker
He said he did not have the funds to put towards the property but would pay for his share "in due course," according to court documents seen by the Mail.
The couple met in 2020 after Ms O'Hare bought a table from his showroom and began a rapid-fire romance.
Pacey claimed it was "love at first sight" in an interview and by June 2021 they had purchased the property together.
According to the MailOnline, they had reportedly signed documents - drawn up by solicitors overseeing the purchase of the house - agreeing that the house would pass fully to the surviving partner if either of them died.
Because of this, Mr Pacey became the sole legal owner of the property following his fiance's death.
O'Hare had remained in Cheshire with her teenage kids while Mr Pacey moved into their Spitalfields home.
She reportedly claimed he had promised to pay her back once he sold a £1.2million apartment above his shop in Shoreditch.
To reassure her, he had allegedly agreed to put half of his £5million fireplace business in her name, but never did.
Ms O'Hare said they had promised to share the cost of renovation work, but she footed most of the bills when he failed to pay contractors.
This included a whopping £14,000 bill for radiator valves alone.
The mum had already taken a loan to pay for the property and used funds from her divorce with millionaire investment boss ex Steve O'Hare.
Mr Pacey allegedly gave her documents to sign, which led her to believe he was in the process of sorting out the legal side of things.
According to the MailOnline, she said that she also received messages telling her her name was on the title deed of the flat or shop to reassure her.
Later, she allegedly claimed Mr Pacey had been controlling and that their relationship had broken down multiple times.
Legal papers reportedly described their relationship as 'turbulent.'
They were engaged in December 2022, but by May 2024, the pair had separated permanently.
She was pursuing legal action in the High Court, and the pair were due to face off at trial in the coming months.
Tragically, her body was found on June 30 outside her apartment block in Manchester city centre.
Police have confirmed there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding her death, and an inquest is due to open this week.
Documents show Ms O'Hare believed she was entitled to full ownership of the Spitalfields property.
But due to the agreement they signed in 2021, writing that if either of them died, the other would automatically inherit the house, the property reverted to Mr Pacey.
He now has full ownership of the home after O'Hare's sudden death.
In a defence statement submitted to the court, Mr Pacey denied persuading Rachel to buy the house in their joint names.
Mr Pacey says that Rachel agreed to do so because they were in love.
He also claimed that there was no discussion about him paying for half of the house or transferring over 50 per cent of his business.
The defence document said: "The parties (Ms O'Hare and Mr Pacey) were going to get married and there was just no discussion about who owned what.
Mr Pacey also has denied being controlling and claimed that the couple only seriously argued twice - once in Kent, during the summer of 2023, and once in New York in May 2024.
He says that Rachel was drunk during both occasions.
In his defence statement, dated February this year, he also denied refusing allowing Rachel access to the house or not paying bills and threatening to trash it.
Mr Pacey claims that he paid £70,000 towards the house's refurbishment and that provided much of the furniture from his shop.
According to him, he installed six Italian fireplaces worth £350,000.
According to his statement, Mr Pacey wanted to get the Georgian Townhouse and the maisonette, in order to buy Rachel out of both properties.
When approached by the Daily Mail, Mr Pacey refused to speak about any legal disputes with Rachel.
Instead, he said: "I worshipped the ground Rachel walked on."
Mr Pacey also claimed that his former fiancée had been suffering from poor mental health in the weeks leading up to her death and had allegedly recently been treated in hospital.
He added: "I'm suffering with my own mental health. I don't want to be here without her."