
The woman who was accused of forging the will of an old man to get a share of his £320,000 estate stated that it is similar to winning the lottery. The 53-year-old Karen O’Brien appeared in court yesterday where she pleaded innocent to conspiring to counterfeit James Wilmot’s will. Jim passed away back in 2014, at the age of 89.
Allegedly, O’Brien and her co-defendants Leanne Collins, 40 and Gemma Gauci, 36 worked together to create a false will. However, handwriting experts concluded that the signature that was placed on the document from 2013 did not belong to Jim.
There was a previous will back from 2004, which was dismissed after O’Brien was named as a witness and a beneficiary. However, two weeks later, Gauci and O’Brien discovered the 2013 will, by claiming that they continued to clean the house for six months after Mr Wilmot passed away.
Clare Wilks, the Prosecutor, asked Karen O’Brien what did she and Gauci think when they found the will and figured out that it stated that both of them would get half of his estate. O’Brien responded that it felt like winning the lottery.
The court was also informed that O’Brien has several convictions for shoplifting before this case. According to the prosecutor, the women forget the will after they figured out that the first one was invalid. However, there is no proof, so the trial continues.