‘Entitled Daughter Who Blowed Late Mum's Fortune on Luxury Meals and Vacations Ordered to Repay £2.6 Million’

A “GREEDY and entitled” daughter who splurged her late mum’s fortune on posh meals and holidays has been ordered to pay back £2.6million.

Sandra Thomas was taken to court by her brother Gary MacDougall, 70, after he was axed from multi-millionaire mum Jeanne MacDougall’s will.

Gary accused his sister and brother-in-law, pictured, of splurging his mum’s fortune Credit: Champion News Service He is now entitled to a share of her inheritance Credit: Champion News Service

The 65-year-old and her husband were accused of plundering Jeanne’s fortune while she was still alive.

Gary claimed large sums were illegitimately spent by Sandra and Lloyd on holidays, meals at the Ivy and their daughter’s lavish wedding at Hotel.

He said his mum was incapable of consenting to the cash being used and claimed two properties, that ultimately should have gone to his family, were also removed from the estate before her death.

A judge has now found Sandra and her husband Philip Thomas acted of “greed” to misuse more than £1million of Jeanne’s money as a personal piggy bank.

Sandra was left four properties from her mum Credit: Champion News Service This included one house in Acton, West London Credit: Champion News Service

Judge Nicola Rushton KC also said they worked in an “extensive and wholesale” way to use her accounts “as if they were their own”.

The judge further found they had “unduly influenced” the pensioner into handing them the three properties, which are now worth a total of £1.6million.

She upheld Jeanne’s will – largely benefiting Sandra and Philip – but ruled that they must pay back to the estate the money they took, as well as the properties, or their values.

Builder Gary is now entitled to half of the £2.6million the couple must cough up.

The judge said: “Jeanne’s accounts and her assets were simply used by Sandra and Philip as if they were their own, without any regard whatsoever for any fiduciary duties, or even familial obligations to Jeanne.”

The court heard the family fortune came from his property developer dad Alexander MacDougall’s “substantial real estate portfolio”.

Development were mainly bought up in the Acton and Ealing areas of West London, renovated and rented out – generating significant profits.

As a builder himself, Gary says he contributed to the family’s wealth by using his company to maintain the properties free of charge.

His barrister claimed that over the years, it had been made clear to the two siblings by their parents that they would ultimately receive “broadly equal financial treatment and inheritance”.

This included his dad insisting to Gary that he would not require a significant pot as he would inherit property on which to live on in his retirement, the court heard.

Following their dad’s death, mum Jeanne made a will in 2008, which amounted to a “broadly equal” split between Gary and his family on one side and daughter and son-in-law on the other.

Under that will, Gary and his family would receive two properties, while Sandra and Lloyd got most of the cash in her bank accounts and two houses.

But in 2011, Jeanne’s final will stated all four properties would go to Sandra and her husband – as well as the majority of Jeanne’s savings.

The document said Gary and Sandra would split the small amount that was left, but due to the costs and expenses of estate administration, that is “likely to be worth nil”, Mr Martin said.

Gary claimed the will is invalid due to “presumed undue influence” as it was made at a time when his mum was suffering from and dependent on his sister and brother-in-law.

He said the couple are guilty of “financial abuse” while looking after his mum’s affairs under a power of attorney.

The court heard more than £2million left Jeanne’s bank accounts between 2012 and 2020.

Gary’s barrister said: “In 2017, approximately £362,587.30 was expended from the deceased’s bank accounts, with the deceased’s debit card in use almost every day.

“The payments made by the defendants included, for example, paying for their daughter’s wedding at the five-star Savoy Hotel in London, shopping on Oxford Street, flights, spending on holiday in , £30,000 to the car manufacturer and meals out at the Ivy.

“The claimant estimates from an analysis of the deceased’s bank statements provided by the defendants that, between January 2012 and April 2020, the total sum of £2,153,049.88 was expended from the deceased’s bank accounts.

“The same analysis indicates that only a small proportion of the expenditure – currently estimated to be circa £468,034.23 – represents expenditure which was attributable to the deceased.”

Sandra and Philip, who are now estranged, argued they acted “in good faith” and with what they “sincerely believed to be in the best interests” of Jeanne.

Claiming the 2011 will should not be overturned, their barrister said the couple had cared for Jeanne, while Gary did “very little for her”.

They also claimed Gary’s “marital infidelity” had influenced Jeanne’s decision and denied she had no dementia diagnosis at the time.

Giving judgment on the case, Judge Rushton found that Jeanne’s 2011 will was not tainted by undue influence, nor by mental frailness.

But she ruled that the actions of Sandra and Philip over the years had depleted the value of the estate.

She added: “There was a clear cycle of emptying Jeanne’s bank accounts, realising an asset to generate more cash, and then repeating the process again.

“No thought was given to how Jeanne’s care would be paid for, and at her death she had virtually no cash left.”

She said an account would have to be taken of the money spent by the couple to determine what they must pay to the estate as compensation, which would then be split with Gary.

The exact value of the multimillion-pound estate has still to be calculated but Sandra and Phillip will still get at least double the £1.3m Gary is in line for under the upheld will.