A man who believes his brothers conned him out of his share of their late mother’s £3.7 million estate sent a series of abusive letters to a legal clerk acting for one of them.
Sean Scriven told Lin Redstone he knew where she lived and made threats in 17 letters he sent over the course of just a few weeks.
After he was sentenced to a community order for harassment today, he told Brighton Magistrates Court he would have to be resentenced as he wouldn’t be co-operating with probation.
Prosecuting, Florence Odongo said the harassment started on 2 October last year with a 20-minute call to Ms Redstone, who works for DMH Stallard solicitors and was acting for Scriven’s brother Ashley, who is in a care home.
She said: “On 8 October, Ms Redstone started receiving lengthy hnrtn letters – about 17 over the course of a month.
“They were about being excluded from the will whilst his two brothers were included. A statutory will was made by the Court of Protection which included his brothers John and Ashley.
“The defendant found out that Ashley had made a will and was obsessed over the fact that Ashley has got money.
“One letter said: ‘Fuck off Lin, I know where you live.”
In a victim impact statement read out in court, Ms Redstone said: “It’s difficult to be wrongly accused of things you have either done or not done without having a right to reply because of client confidentiality.
“I have had to be extra vigilant about keeping my doors locked 24 hours a day. I’m 76 and live alone and it’s deeply unpleasant to be subjected to intimidation and threats, which most of the letters contained.”
Defending, Andrew Foreman said he had been out of trouble for a considerable time, and had mental health difficulties.
The court was told Scriven, who changed his name by deed poll from O’Sullivan, has 18 convictions for 33 offences, most of which were against property or public order offences.
Chair of the bench Harry Callaghan gave Scriven, of Chalky Road, Portslade, a 12-month community order, including 15 rehabilitation activity requirement days.
He fined him £200 and ordered him to pay a surcharge of £114 and £85 in court costs, bringing his bill to £399.
And he issued a restraining order forbidding him fro contacting Lin Redstone or DMH Stallard, except in response to contact initiated by them to him or through a registered solicitor.
Scriven replied: “They conned my mother out of £3.7 million, my brothers. They nicked £3.7 million off my mmother who had Alzheimer’s and who was 90 years of age.
“I’m not doing 15 courses with probation so I will be back in court.
“I wouldn’t contact Lin Redstone anyway. She’s nothing to do with me. I said sorry about 100 times in the letters.”
Inheritance law is a dirty business. The worst of people’s greed seems to come out.