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Swindon Advertiser has written about a distressing video that shows a secondary school student who uses a wheelchair being dragged to the floor and attacked by another pupil.On a more positive note, ITV West Country has shared the story of a Somerset boy whose epileptic seizures have disappeared after he received "pioneering" neurosurgery at Bristol Children's Hospital.And the Stroud News & Journal has shared details of how the discovery of two Roman swords has led to a new ancient settlement being found near Chipping Campden in the Cotswolds.
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Dirty nappies and stained clothes left at charity shopsLost Turner work sold as museum outbid at auctionMum haunted by daughter's final weeks on hospital ward
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Gloucestershire County Council is reminding people that telecare alarms may no longer work after landline phones switch to digital.There's been a huge reaction on Reddit to a Bristol man's first tattoo at the age of 86.People in Aldbourne have been putting up signs telling drivers about duck-crossing areas - they hope the parish council will make them permanent soon.
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BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
How fake-will fraudsters steal millions from the dead
In late 2023, sisters Lisa and Nicole were told they had inherited a substantial sum from their late Aunt Christine. But while they were absorbing this life-changing news, the windfall was just as quickly snatched away.A man unknown to Christine's family, friends or neighbours, appeared - apparently from nowhere - and produced a will, naming him sole heir to her entire about the man's claim grew as troubling details emerged. However, the police and probate service said they would not and Nicole's is one of several similar cases investigated by BBC News in the south of found mounting evidence that a criminal gang has been carrying out systematic will fraud by exploiting weaknesses in the probate system, stealing millions of pounds from the estates of dead people, and committing serious tax fraud. 'My dear friend' Lisa and Nicole were upset to hear about the death of their aunt, Christine Harverson, whom they had not seen since their early childhood. They were also shocked to be told that they stood to inherit her entire estate, including a house in Wimbledon, south London, which could be worth nearly £1m. She had not left a will, and they were her closest living sisters were alerted to their inheritance by an "heir-finder" company, Anglia Research Services. Heir-finders use an official government register that lists estates where no will has been made. They research the dead person's family in order to identify, locate and contact the rightful return for a portion of the inheritance, these companies act on the heirs' behalf and apply for what's known as a grant of probate. This gives them the legal right to deal with a deceased person's estate – in other words, their property, money and on this occasion, the application for probate on behalf of Lisa and Nicole was stopped in its tracks.A Hungarian man by the name of Tamas Szvercsok contacted the probate service, and produced a will describing him as Christine's "dear friend".It named him the beneficiary of her entire estate, as well as sole executor - the person legally responsible for carrying out the instructions in the will. The possibility that Mr Szvercsok was genuine, initially was not dismissed out of hand."It happens - sometimes cases slip through the net and a will is unearthed," says Matt Boardman, a former police officer who works for Anglia there were clear signs something was amiss: Christine's neighbour and friend, Sue, said she had never mentioned a Hungarian friend at any point in the years they had known each otherThe will was dated 2016 - Christine was housebound and disabled by this time, and receiving practically no visitorsThe terms of the will meant that Christine would have disinherited her husband and carer Dennis, who in 2016 was still alive (he died in 2020)Moreover, because Dennis was the joint owner of their house, Christine could not have legally bequeathed the house without his consentAfter Dennis's death, Christine entered a care home, but there was no record of Mr Szvercsok ever visiting her Other even more troubling details stood home address was misspelled on the will, and even though it was dated 2016, the address given for Mr Szvercsok was a block of flats that had not been built until Boardman contacted Mr Szvercsok, who replied by email: "I never heard of any family. I'm the sole executor of her will."Despite presenting what they thought was a strong case to police and the probate service, Lisa and Nicole were told they would have to bring a civil action if they wanted to prove that the will was a fake. That would cost tens of thousands of pounds which they do not now says she sometimes wishes she had never been told about the will in the first place: "All it's done is bring misery really, and heartache. It's just a whole nightmare." 'Vacant goods' Stealing a dead person's property and financial assets appears to be extremely easy under UK law, if no will can be official government register of unclaimed estates (in England and Wales?) is called Bona Vacantia (Latin for "vacant goods"), and is freely accessible online. It currently contains about 6,000 names and is updated heir-hunting companies use Bona Vacantia to research potential clients, but it also appears to have become a valuable resource for claim an estate where there is no known heir, a fraudster simply has to find a promising name on Bona Vacantia, produce a will quickly enough, and be awarded grant of probate. Since 2017 it's been possible to apply for grant of probate online, but critics of the system say it is failing to detect suspicious applicants, and it also appears to increase the opportunity for tax someone dies, their estate has to be assessed for inheritance tax. This is not payable on estates worth £325,000 or less, but any amount over that threshold – with some exceptions - is taxed at 40%.It's the responsibility of the person awarded grant of probate to make sure inheritance tax has been for grant of probate must complete a form to say this has been done, but under the current arrangements, they need do no more than declare on the online form that no tax is is a system that relies largely on trust, but gives ample opportunity for that trust to be roundly our investigations we have come across cases where estates have been valued at just under the inheritance tax threshold, even though they include property worth far of these was the estate of Charles Haxton. Whose house? At the time of his death in 2021, Charles Haxton was living alone in a terraced house in Tooting, south was reclusive and only occasionally spoke to neighbours, although one of them, Roye Chapman, was there for him near the end when he suffered a bad fall outside."I rang the police and then got him up and got him into the ambulance," he says. "His head was all cut open, and then two weeks later, he died."No will was initially found for Mr Haxton, and his name and address appeared on Bona Vacantia. This prompted Anglia Research to look for possible heirs, and they told several of his cousins that they could be in line to inherit Mr Haxton's estate. Then, as with Lisa and Nicole, the cousins were told that a will had appeared after all, leaving everything to one man - also Hungarian - called Roland family initially accepted his claim, to have been an old friend of Mr Haxton, but one relation, Barry, obtained a copy of the will and was struck by how odd it left Mr Silye two properties - not only Mr Haxton's home in London, but also a house in the two properties would have been worth about £2m. However, Mr Silye listed the value of the estate as £320,500 – just £4,500 short of the amount at which inheritance tax kicked was even stranger was that Mr Haxton had never owned, and had no connection to, any house in visited this property. It was large and dilapidated, and neighbours told us it had been unoccupied for a long puzzle of the extra house also caught the attention of Neil Fraser, a partner in another heir-hunting company. He thinks that Mr Silye may have bundled the Hertfordshire property into a will in an attempt to fake ownership."He must have gone past that house and thought, 'I'll just take that derelict house. How can I get that house? Well, I can put it inside a will!"Crucially, the will was accepted by the probate service, who did not check or raise any questions about the Hertfordshire were unable to trace Roland Silye in our investigation, and his motivation remains a will would not give him possession of the Hertfordshire house - the property registry and the electoral roll name the owner as a woman who would be in her 70s. However, Mr Fraser speculates that the will could be used in future as leverage to take ownership when the real owner reporting his suspicions to the police and the probate service, he says action was not Silye cleared probate not only for Mr Haxton's estate, but also that of George Woon, an elderly man from Southall, west Woon also died in 2021, and shortly afterwards, his name appeared on Bona Vacantia. Mr Silye came forward with a will which named him as sole heir. Mr Woon's house was later sold at auction for £360,000. A complex web We asked an expert in financial fraud, Graham Barrow, to check whether there could be any connection between Roland Silye and Tamas have names of Hungarian origin, and, according to Companies House, both appear to be directors in a complex and interlinked web of Barrow established that the address Mr Szvercsok gave in Mrs Harverson's will was also used by Mr Silye for some of his these companies do is unclear, although some have been struck off for fraudulent addresses, and others have been warned for failing to provide pattern - multiple businesses, related addresses, similar names - is one which often indicates a criminal network, says Mr adds that owning multiple companies can allow criminals to disperse funds across different accounts and locations, and makes life more difficult for law Hungarian name featuring in this web of companies is Bela Kovacs, who, according to a will dated 2021, was heir to the entire estate of Michael Judd, from Pinner, west London. According to his neighbours, Mr Judd was a multi-talented individual with a distinguished record in the security services. However, in his final years he had become something of a hoarder, seldom leaving his neighbour, Chris, told us he thought the will had sounded strange and not only because Mr Judd had never mentioned Bela Kovacs.A few months before his death in 2024, Mr Judd told Chris he had made a will long ago, but the people named on it were all now dead. In any case, he added, he did not know where it was."I suppose I better try and dig it out some time," Chris remembers him feels it's inconceivable that Mr Judd would have troubled himself with these decisions if he had made a will three years tracked Mr Kovacs down to a luxury estate in the Watford area but he refused to talk to us. Joined-up writing Other factors seem to connect these wills made out for Charles Haxton, George Woon and the others we have seen, appear to have been written by the same person, according to handwriting expert Christina Strang."The numbers two, four and seven are all written in the same way on several addresses," she also sees other similarities, such as the spacing of the letters in different signatures, and the positioning of the signatures on the line."It seems to be one person actually signing, forging all of these." Ms Strang also thinks this same person may have also forged signatures for the witnesses named on the wills, none of whom, we found, were apparently known to the deceased, and some of whom might have been completely are disturbing similarities in the way that properties were treated during and after the probate process: Shortly after Mr Szvercsok made his initial claim on Mrs Harverson's estate, her nieces discovered her Wimbledon house had been ransackedA workman employed to empty Mr Judd's house told us he had been instructed to empty it quickly, even though this meant having to destroy what appeared to be valuable heirloomsAfter Mr Haxton's house was cleared, the windows and doors were blacked out, and the locks strengthened; a year later, it emerged that it was being used as a cannabis farm (a fact that only emerged when a rival gang tried to force entry and neighbours alerted the police) A system in trouble As a result of our investigation, bank accounts for dozens of companies connected to the suspected fraudsters, have been addition, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has told us it now wants to question Roland Silye about inheritance tax which he might owe on the estate of Charles Kovacs was granted probate over the estate of Michael Judd, which was valued at £310,000 - just below the inheritance tax threshold. However, HMRC's interest was also piqued by this case, and it has now suspended a planned sale of Mr Judd's bungalow in the dispute over Christine Harverson's estate means the probate process has been frozen, and it looks unlikely to be resolved soon. Tamas Szvercsok cannot take possession of her Wimbledon house, but Lisa and Nicole lack the funds to go to the civil court and prove his will is fake. We wrote to Mr Szvercsok and Mr Silye at the addresses supplied with their probate applications, offering them a right of reply, but we did not hear we shared our findings with the Ministry of Justice, which is ultimately responsible for the probate system, it told us that it was "working with law enforcement to ensure criminals feel the full force of the law".However, a different picture emerges from others who know the system."Because probate isn't high profile – it's not sort of, for want of a better word, politically sexy, it doesn't stay in the headlines," says former MP Sir Bob Neill, who until the 2024 general election was the chair of the House of Commons Justice Select 2023, the select committee launched an inquiry into the probate system, but it was cut short by the Bob believes an over-eagerness to cut costs by digitising the probate system, has produced weaknesses which fraudsters are now exploiting."When you had regional offices you had human awareness, contact and scrutiny that was better suited to pick up cases where things have gone wrong," he says. "A purely sort of automated system isn't really good at doing that." He says the system introduced in 2017 was a cheap and quick fix. It lacks the sophistication, he says, of programs used by insurance companies to deal with fraud, which can detect patterns of suspicious concerns are echoed by Anglia Research's investigator, Matt Boardman, who says that previously, executors of wills would have had to attend their local probate registry to swear an oath, which "would allow the registrar to evaluate every single case on its own merit".He says the system's move online "completely eliminated" the chance to question the executor's demeanour or behaviour."Goodness knows just how many of these have already gone through and been processed by the probate registry," he says, "and how rich we're making these people."
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Shadow World: The Grave Robbers, a new BBC Radio 4 podcast launches original investigation of gangs faking wills to steal inheritance
A new BBC Radio 4 podcast, Shadow World: The Grave Robbers, reveals the untold story of criminal gangs stealing houses from people who die without a recent will. Award-winning investigative reporter Sue Mitchell (Intrigue: To Catch a Scorpion, Million Dollar Lover) reveals how a gang operating in the UK is stealing houses from people who die without a recent will. Over five episodes, Sue reveals a network of companies that connect the gang members and finds evidence linked to illegal drugs, money laundering and the sale of UK work visas. The series hears from victims of the gang, confronts its leaders and exposes the shortfalls of a creaking system that leaves many others at risk. Sisters discover they are due to inherit a significant sum from their estranged Aunt and probate is stopped in its tracks... In late 2023, sisters Lisa and Nicole found out they were due to inherit a significant sum from their estranged late Aunt Christine. Heir-identifying, Anglia Research Services, contacted the sisters to inform them their aunt had died, left no will and as her closest surviving relatives they were in line to inherit everything she owned. In return for a portion of the inheritance, companies like Anglia Research apply for a grant of probate – that is, the legal right to deal with the dead person's estate and arrange for any inheritance tax to be paid. The sisters reveal to Sue their initial surprise at learning they were to receive a life changing inheritance was followed by an even bigger shock. A Hungarian man by the name of Tamas Szvercsok had contacted the probate service, and produced a will describing him as Christine's 'dear friend'. It named him sole executor and beneficiary of her entire estate. The possibility that Mr Szvercsok was genuine, was not initially dismissed out of hand. Matt Boardman, former policeman, and current employee of Anglia Research Services, told the podcast: 'It happens, sometimes cases slip through the net and a will is unearthed'. However, there were clear signs that all was not what it seemed. Christine's neighbour and friend, Sue, said she had never mentioned a Hungarian friend at any point in the years they had known each other. The will was dated 2016 - Christine was housebound and disabled by this time, and receiving practically no visitors. Her home address was also misspelled on the will, and even though it was dated 2016, the address given for Mr Szvercsok was a block of flats that was not built until 2022. Matt Boardman contacted Mr Szvercsok, who replied by email: 'I never heard of any family. I'm the sole executor of her will.' Despite presenting what they thought was a strong case to police and the probate service, Lisa and Nicole say they were informed that there would be no investigation into Mr Szvercsok's will. The process has now been frozen. Mr Szvercsok has not been able to take possession of Mrs Christine Harverson's estate, but Lisa and Nicole have been told that they would have to bring a civil case if they wanted to prove that the will was a fake. That would cost tens of thousands of pounds which they do not have. Sue Mitchell says: 'We have this saying in the UK, safe as houses… once you have a house, no one can steal it from you… This is the story of criminals who steal other peoples' inheritance, to steal the homes of the dead, robbing them and their rightful heir. I'm going to explain how and you won't believe how simple it is. You won't believe it's going on right now and no one is stopping these thieves.' Shadow World: The Grave Robbers begins on BBC Sounds on Saturday 5 July. The first episode will be available on BBC Radio 4 from Wednesday 9 July at 9.30am New episodes will be released weekly. Listen to Shadow World: The Grave Robbers on BBC Sounds Presenter: Sue Mitchell Produced by: Sue Mitchell and Winifred Robinson Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke Commissioning Executive: Tracy Williams The Grave Robbers is a BBC Studios Audio production for BBC Radio 4. LS Follow for more
Times
2 hours ago
- Times
Fraud suspects will ‘lose their right to a jury trial'
Defendants charged with fraud and some sexual offences are expected to be among those who will lose their automatic right to a jury trial under the biggest shake-up of the criminal courts in a generation. Shabana Mahmood, the justice secretary, is said to be considering proposals for fraud cases to be heard by a specialist judge rather than a jury. This is because fraud cases often relate to complex financial information. It is designed to significantly speed up fraud trials, which clog up crown courts given the extra time needed for the prosecution and defence teams to prepare and present their evidence in a way that ordinary members of the public can understand. Fraud cases make up only 1,183 of the 76,957 cases in the crown court backlog or 1.6 per cent but take considerably longer than average trials given their complexity. Under the plans, fraud cases would be heard in a new intermediate court structure in between the magistrates court, which can only hand down sentences of up to 12 months, and the crown court with a jury. The creation of an intermediate court is expected to be recommended in a review of the crisis in crown courts to be published by Sir Brian Leveson, a former appeal judge and head of criminal justice, next week. Cases would be tried by a judge and two magistrates rather than a jury. These would be cases that are too serious for magistrates courts but are no longer deemed serious enough for the crown court in front of a jury. They would no longer be 'either way cases' in which the defendant is able to opt for their case to be heard by a jury in the crown court. The proposals are likely to cause concerns over the threat to Britain's centuries-old principle of jury trials. The establishment of an intermediate court was a key recommendation by The Times Crime and Justice Commission earlier this year. Mahmood is expected to accept this key recommendation in order to significantly reduce the time and cost of a trial, deliver swifter justice to victims and cut the crown courts' record backlog. However, she will not announce which offences will no longer be tried at a crown court until the autumn. Government sources said fraud cases and some sexual offences are likely to be moved to the intermediate court. There are 12,532 sexual offences in the crown courts' backlog. • Criminals will be released early under 'digital prison' plan A government source said: 'It will be for Sir Brian to recommend on the issue, but there is a strong case for fraud trials without juries. They are often related to complex financial information, and so may be better heard by a specialist judge alone. They would be dealt with more quickly that way, which would help reduce the courts backlog that soared under the last government.' There are a large number of cases that can be tried either way and ministers are understood to be planning for most of these offences to be heard in the intermediate court. The Times previously revealed that defendants accused of violent crimes and drug dealing will also be among those to lose their automatic right to a jury. However, the plans to remove fraud and other cases away from jury trials have already faced a backlash from senior legal figures and there are concerns of a fresh battle with barristers, who staged a series of strikes in 2022, which significantly harmed efforts to reduce the courts backlog. Jonathan Fisher KC, who conducted a Home Office-commissioned independent review of the conduct of serious fraud prosecutions, said: 'I do not think the case for abolishing juries in serious fraud trials has been made out.' Fisher pointed out that concerns around complex fraud cases related to disclosure 'where the prosecution has been overwhelmed by the handling of colossal volumes of digitally held unused material resulting in unnecessary and protracted court hearings'. Fisher noted that the recommendations made in his review would 'streamline the process and save considerable court time and resources' without having to move those cases to an intermediate Mills KC, the head of the Bar Council, said that 'changing the fundamental structure of delivering criminal justice' was not 'a principled response' to the backlog in the crown courts. • Courts without juries 'could bring swifter justice' Mills, who leads the professional body for more than 18,000 practising barristers in England and Wales, noted that backlogs were not limited to the crown court and that 300,000 cases were queuing in magistrates' courts. 'Anything that is put forward as a solution needs to take a whole system approach especially in terms of the available resources, so it doesn't simply reshuffle the problem,' Mills said. Mary Prior KC, chair of the Criminal Bar Association, criticised the government for failing to consult it. She said: 'As at the beginning of July we have no real understanding of precisely what is going to be suggested.' There are also concerns that crown courts are not making full use of their sitting days, which is holding back efforts to clear the backlog. Earlier this year Mahmood announced funding for a record 110,000 collective sitting days over this financial year. • Violent crime suspects may lose right to jury to clear court backlog Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, said: 'Before the government decides to rip up our constitutional settlement, they should start by getting the basics right, including getting courts sitting round the clock.' The changes will be introduced alongside the overhaul of sentencing laws, which will effectively scrap prison sentences of less than 12 months except in certain circumstances. Mahmood will formally introduce these changes in a Sentencing Bill next week. The Ministry of Justice said: 'We know that justice delayed is justice denied … That's why we're backing our courts with record funding and have asked Sir Brian Leveson to recommend once-in-a-generation reform to tackle delays and speed up justice for victims.' You can read the commission's full report below or here
