A woman has been left with a staggering £200,000 court bill after she was convicted of fraud for forging the will of her former headmistress in an attempt to claim a £4.2 million fortune.

Leigh Voysey, 45, falsely claimed that Maureen Renny, the 82-year-old headteacher of The Barn School, left her entire estate, including a £2.25 million house, to prevent its sale to developers.

The Forged Will and the Legal Battle

Mrs. Renny passed away in January 2020, and her family quickly became suspicious of the 2019 will that left her estate to Voysey.

The family described the will as being “bought from a shop” and contacted authorities.

Voysey was convicted in October 2024 on charges of forgery and fraud.

The court ultimately ruled in favor of an earlier will from 2016, which named Mrs. Renny’s relatives as beneficiaries.

The judge also awarded the family significant legal costs, amounting to nearly £200,000.

Voysey’s Claim of Reconnection

Voysey claimed she had reconnected with Mrs. Renny during the final years of the teacher’s life.

She said that after visiting her former headmistress as a carer in 2016, they developed a friendship, and Mrs. Renny allegedly asked her to help write a new will in 2019.

Voysey suggested that the teacher feared her family would sell Hill House, the former school building, to developers, and therefore wanted to leave it to her instead.

The Family’s Suspicion and Court Findings

However, Mrs. Renny’s family strongly disputed this claim, stating that the 2016 will was the true representation of her wishes.

They also pointed out that Voysey’s account of their relationship was false, as they had only briefly met when Voysey worked as a carer for Mrs. Renny on one occasion in 2016.

Additionally, it was revealed that Mrs. Renny had suffered a stroke in 2019 and had become mentally unstable in the months leading up to her death, casting further doubt on the validity of the forged will.

Legal Consequences and Court Costs

Master Karen Shuman ruled that the 2019 will was invalid and struck Voysey’s claim from the court, citing her criminal conviction for forgery.

The court also found that the forged will appeared to be something purchased online or from a store.

As a result, Voysey was ordered to pay the legal fees incurred by Mrs. Renny’s family, which were estimated at around £197,000.

These fees are to be paid on an indemnity basis, meaning they must be covered in full by Voysey.

What Happened to Hill House?

Meanwhile, the property at the center of the dispute, Hill House, was sold to developers for £2.25 million in March 2021.

The land was later subdivided and sold for £975,000 in January 2022.

Hill Residential, the company that purchased the property, plans to build 30 new homes and a large public park on the site.

As Voysey awaits sentencing for her criminal convictions, this case serves as a stark reminder of the serious legal consequences of attempting to forge a will and the heavy costs that can result from fraudulent actions.

This article was published on TDPel Media. Thanks for reading!

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