The family of a millionaire tyre tycoon is locked in a £12.3million inheritance battle following his death in 2021. Yorkshire horse breeder Reg Bond died at the age of 77, leaving his legacy to his four children.
The High Court heard earlier this month how the family would ‘squabble over an egg and spoon’ reports The Mirror. After giving part of his legacy away, Mr Bond handed nearly all of his remaining £12.3m to his sons Charlie, 43, and Graham, 51. Meanwhile, his other son Mike, 52, and daughter Lindsay, 55, were left with £325,000 each.
The four siblings claim that their father’s final will and testament in 2019 was ‘not valid’ due to his illness and said he ‘did not understand what he was agreeing to’. Penelope Reed KC who represents Mike and Lindsay say that Bond’s carers ‘took sides against them.’ Doctors records allegedly ‘prove’ that Bond’s mental faculties were not intact at the time of writing his will.
Bond, who was a prominent figure on the Yorkshire horseracing circuit, was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2010 and his wife Betty, died in 2015. Following his wife’s death Bond proposed to one of his care assistants named Karen Daddy.
Ms Daddy, who said Bond proposed to her even though she had a partner because he was ‘lonely and depressed’ after the death of Betty, told KC Reed that she wanted to avoid a ‘long bitter court case’ and Bond’s children would ‘fight over everything, even an egg and spoon’.
The court has heard Charlie brought in corporate lawyer Duncan Rann as ‘head of operations’ of a new company controlled by Charlie and Graham. Ms Daddy and her fellow carer Denise Webster were keen to make sure Mr Rann retained his position as director of the new company set up by Charlie.
She said:
“They were all telling me different stories and I didn’t know who to believe. Lindsay told me that Charlie was pushing her out of the company, and Charlie said that wasn’t true.
“Charlie was getting accused of bullying people and that he was bullying his father, which wasn’t true. Lindsay wasn’t getting pushed out of the company, that wasn’t true.”
The hearing continues.
