Latest news with #elderlyprotection
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Predatory marriages could be banned after pensioners ‘groomed' for inheritance payouts
Ministers are considering reforming marriage rules to stop elderly people from being preyed on and their families disinherited. So-called 'predatory marriages' – which lawyers claim are on the rise – see the elderly and vulnerable groomed into marriages they may not properly understand. Current rules mean that pre-existing wills are invalidated when a person marries, meaning that spouses, who can inherit without paying any death duties, stand to get everything under intestacy laws. But a major report from the Law Commission, published last week, recommended that wills should no longer be discarded when a person marries. In a letter to Sarah Sackman, a justice minister, and Fabian Hamilton, a Labour MP, raised the case of Joan Blass, a 91-year-old woman suffering from dementia who married a younger man in a 'secret' wedding. She was widowed in 2008 but towards the end of 2011 struck up a conversation with the man, who was standing at the end of her garden. Within a month, he had moved into her spare bedroom. The marriage – made without the knowledge of Ms Blass's family – meant that when she died in 2016, she was buried in an unmarked grave, against her wishes, and 'stripped of all her assets and money'. Her husband claimed she did have the capacity to marry him and that it was a 'loving and caring' relationship, the i newspaper reported. Mr Hamilton wrote on X: 'The Wills Act hasn't been updated since 1837. Marriage should never revoke a previous will. 'The Law Commission has put forward decisive recommendations. I have written to the justice minister calling on the Government to act on them.' The Labour MP put forward a Private Members' Bill in 2018 proposing a change in the law, which was supported by MPs including Rachel Reeves and Sir Ed Davey. Mr Hamilton said he had been contacted by several families who had experienced 'predatory marriages', demonstrating the scale of the issue. Daniel Edwards, a partner at law firm Browne Jacobson, said many people were unaware of the rule, and that it 'can seem a little hard to justify, given changes in society since the rule came about.' Mr Edwards added: 'It is also one that can be open to abuse; in cases of 'predatory marriage' a will – that perhaps leaves everything to the testator's children – would in all likelihood be revoked by a marriage. 'While Law Commission reports can sometimes take years to be considered and debated in Parliament, the fact we have already seen the Government's response suggests there is motivation and intention to bring forward changes in the not-too-distant future.' Ms Sackman said in response to the recommendations: 'Marriage should no longer automatically revoke a will – this recommendation is designed to address the problem of 'predatory marriages' where vulnerable people are befriended, and the effect of the marriage is to disinherit families and others from any will they have made.' The Law Commission began looking into wills in 2016, before pausing the research in 2019 to focus on marriages at the Government's request. It published the results of two public consultations and draft legislation earlier this month. Other recommendations from the review included allowing children to make wills, making electronic wills valid and the recognition of more informal wills. The commission also proposed abolishing rules which stop second spouses, stepchildren and divorced partners from challenging mutual wills under the Inheritance Act 1975. Ms Sackman added: 'The reforms proposed by the Law Commission are significant and wide-ranging. They deserve detailed consideration. 'The Government recognises that the current law is outdated, and we must embrace change, but the guiding principle in doing so will be to ensure that reform does not compromise existing freedoms or protecting the elderly and vulnerable in society from undue influence.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
CBS News
07-05-2025
- CBS News
Elk Grove police warn of spike in thieves snatching jewelry, latest victim speaks out
ELK GROVE — The Elk Grove Police Department put out a warning on Tuesday to beware of distraction robberies, with thieves snatching expensive jewelry off the elderly and women. "I know it is just material, but for her, it is very important because she has worn it for so many years, and she is thinking how I can forget the memories I have with the chain," said Ramesh Kumar, son of the latest victim in Elk Grove. Sundrambal Selvaraj is still in shock from what happened to her in broad daylight on Saturday afternoon. Selvaraj was on the front porch with her daughter-in-law, Ariel Lee, when Lee said a silver Hyundai with a man and woman inside pulled up near their driveway. Lee said the man started asking for driving directions, and then the woman in the backseat started approaching Selvaraj, who is 70 and just moved to America from India four months ago. Selvaraj walked CBS13 through how the woman gave her a hug and then convinced her to come back to the car with her. That is when Lee said the woman placed a fake gold chain in the palm of her mother-in-law's hand and swooped the one around her neck. Lee feels like her kindness was taken advantage of. "Next time, you cannot help anybody anymore," she said. The necklace was a family heirloom that Selvaraj's husband had given her. It was worth thousands of dollars and was intended to be passed down. "Just because they are coming in to give you a hug or ask you to see something, if you don't know them, unfortunately, we're at that point now, you don't engage," said Sergeant Jason Jimenez with the Elk Grove Police Department. Jiminez said that in the past six weeks, there have been five of these distraction robberies — twice in neighborhoods and the other three in shopping centers. He said each has targeted the elderly or women wearing expensive jewelry. "There is some type of ring where they are definitely being trained how to do these," Jimenez said. The Los Angeles Police Department put out a warning to residents at the end of April about the same type of activity that has seen a spike. CBS13 also spoke with a woman in Rancho Cordova who said the same thing happened to her mom while on an evening walk two weeks ago. The trained tactics are leaving victims like Sundrambal with trauma, snatching her necklace and sense of safety. "She is still in the shock. She can't come out from the shock," Kumar said. "She keeps saying that 'Hey, you told me that America is safe. See now what happened on your doorstep? We lost the things right in front of your doorstep." Jimenez said Elk Grove police have strong leads for the most recent case and have arrested two others tied to other distraction robberies over the past few weeks. They are working with neighboring agencies to catch whoever is responsible. "The reality is these folks aren't doing the robberies here in Elk Grove and staying in Elk Grove, they are moving from place to place," Jimenez said. He is reminding people to speak with loved ones who may be vulnerable to this kind of crime, and if it happens to you, he recommends pulling out your cell phone to start recording to get any images of what the suspects may look like to help in the investigation.
