Whitestone Solicitors, Rochdale, News

20/03/25

The family of an 82-year-old "reclusive" pensioner is fighting to reclaim his £650,000 home after he gifted it to a Ukrainian waitress he had befriended at a café.

Richard Joy, who never married or had children, met Mariia Romanyshyn, 38, in 2011 during his regular visits to the Upper Crust café in Harrow. Two years before his death in May 2018, Mrs. Romanyshyn claims he handed her the deeds to his home, telling her: "The house is yours. I want you to keep the house." She moved in with her husband and daughters, who she says regarded Mr. Joy as a "grandfatherly figure."

24/02/25

A couple who purchased a £32.5 million Victorian home in Notting Hill, only to discover it was "infested by millions of moths," have won the right to return the property to the seller. A High Court judge ruled that property developer William Woodward-Fisher misrepresented the state of the house, failing to disclose the severity of the infestation.

27/01/25

A former RSPCA national trustee has been jailed after defrauding the animal charity of more than £100,000. David Mawson, 50, from Twickenham, abused his position to fund hundreds of hotel stays and private taxi rides using the charity's bank accounts. Convicted of fraud by abuse of position between January 1, 2012, and December 21, 2017, Mawson was sentenced to four years and two months in prison at Inner London Crown Court.

18/12/24

A CONMAN helped speeding drivers evade fines and penalty points by framing innocent people, including his own family members.

Khuram Yaqoob, 35, was jailed along with 18 other individuals, including a secondary school teacher, who paid him hundreds of pounds to avoid prosecution.

27/11/24

A woman reportedly had her leg amputated after an NHS hospital failed to provide adequate care following a horse-riding accident.

Rachel Rutherford, 48, is suing Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust for over £300,000 in damages, claiming that its errors destroyed her quality of life.