A County Court judge sitting in London has just declared that the will of a former bus driver and then lollipop man was a forgery. Who forged it? His widow, according to the judge. The real will left her £25,000. The forgery raised the figure to £550,000 which was much better and the widow claimed that she had found it in the loft after the man's death, inside a Doritos bag. The most striking error in the forgery was that the will was described as "her" last will (which I suppose it was except it was meant to be "his" last will).
Now if you have read Breaking Law - and if you haven't, shame on you - you will know how you may frustrate probate being granted to a forged will and how you will certainly frustrate your estate being wound up on the basis that you had not made a will. Register the real thing with the Probate Registry for a one-off fee of £20 and a check will be made there before probate is granted on the strength of a forgery or letters of administration are granted on the strength of a declaration that you didn't make a will and the intestacy laws apply. Much more in Breaking Law. Did I mention that?
