THE son of a multimillionaire claimed his dad’s dementia was so bad when he cut him out his will that it caused him to drive his car at kids.
Adam Scott, 62, is embroiled in an inheritance dispute with his step-mother as he pursues the £43 million fortune he alleges he was promised by his ‘car boot king’ father Richard.
Richard died in 2018 at the age of 81, leaving his fortune to his second wife and former cleaner, Jennifer, 60.
He amassed his £43 million fortune through running a vastwhere ITV’swas filmed.
Adam, the eldest of Richard’s 19 sons, is now suing his step-mother after he claims he was promised the farm.
The disinherited “golden boy”; – who worked on the farm for 40 years – argued that his father was not in his right mind when he signed the two final wills.
London High Court heard that Richard’s dementia was so bad that he “drove his car at some children during the car boot sale”; and even attacked his own wife and kids.
Psychiatric expert Dr Hugh Series explained there were “objective indicators of changes in Richard’s behaviour”; around the time he signed the disputed wills.
He told the court Richard “drove his car at some children during the car boot sale”; and “hit another car with his car”;.
Richard also displayed “poor behaviour”; including “punching his wife, pushing and grabbing children...six years into a dementia diagnosis”;.
Dr Series explained that there had been reports of him “attacking the door with a hammer and a screwdriver and [having] to be stopped by his children”;.
He added: “His wife was so worried about him, she slept in another room and locked the door.
“This seems to me to be quite extreme.”;
But Alex Troup KC told the judge that Richard had been on dementia drug Donepezil when he aimed his car at kids attending the car boot sale.
The barrister claimed it was the drug that caused his unusual behaviour and that his mental state had “improved”; when he was taken off it after six months.
Mr Troup said: “He made a valid will afterwards.
“The fact that before making that will he drove a car at another car is not much evidence of lack of testamentary capacity.
“Richard always had a temper and could turn on anyone without warning.
“Dementia illnesses often have the effect of exaggerating peoples prior personality traits.”;
Professor Alistair Burns also disagreed that Richard showed signs of his capacity being impaired.
Professor Burns told Mr Justice Richards that Mr Scott’s ability to express himself had been affected by the progressive disease rather than his ability to comprehend.
Adam also argued that his dad promised him he would have the right to take over the farm after his death.
He claimed that he sacrificed everything to commit to “a life of hard and unrelenting physical work”; on the back of those promises.
But Jennifer’s lawyers allege that Richard knew exactly what he was doing when he disinherited his first born.
They told the court that Adam’s relationship with his dad “completely broke down”; when he tried to get Richard sectioned.
Adam had previously tried to prevent Richard’s wedding to Jennifer, claiminghad incapacitated him.
It led to Richard being interviewed by four registrars and a lawyer from the local council, who confirmed he did have the capacity to marry.
They also say he has no claim to his dad’s estate on the basis of the alleged promises having already been handed land and property worth over £10m by Richard before his death.
Through the court proceedings, Adam hopes to restore his father’s 1995 will which granted him “a 40-year tenancy of his father’s farm and an option to purchase the farm at its probate value”;.
When Richard amended the will in 2016, Jennifer’s two sons, Gordon and William Redgrave-Scott, and Adam’s sister Rebecca Horley also became beneficiaries.
