Leeds brothers settle over mother’s will

Two Leeds brothers, who ended up in court over their late mother’s will, have reached an agreement.

Barry Hirst and his brother Harry reached a settlement, halfway through a six-day hearing at Leeds High Court. Their mother, Lena, who died in 2005 suffered from Alzheimer’s, and her will stated that her estate should be divided equally between the two men but Barry took the court action after claiming that he ended up without a penny.

He claimed that his mother’s property, in Moortown, was transferred into his brother’s name three years before she died and added that £100,000 of her money went to a firm of solicitors where Harry worked. Harry launched a counter-claim, alleging that his brother took £150,000 of the estate from a safety deposit box.

The brother’s have now signed a confidentiality contract, withholding details of the settlement. Judge John Behrens said at the hearing: “I am very happy that this case is now resolved. It was plainly an unfortunate dispute. I would hope that the relationship between the brothers will improve. Whether it will, I do not know.”