Nephew who forged his uncle’s will in order to bag £30,000 jailed for 5 years
Relatives rumbled Venning when they noticed devout uncle Christian Peter Ascott would not have done business on the Sabbath
A MAN who forged his uncle’s will in a bid to bag £30,000 after being disinherited has been jailed for 5½ years.
William Hedley Venning, 55, was rumbled as the document was signed on a Sunday — and relatives said devout Christian Peter Ascott would not have done business on the Sabbath.
Venning originally stood to inherit £10,000 from his uncle, as did his wife Susan, sister Elizabeth, and Mr Ascott’s carer.
But he was written out in 2010 after his uncle sided with Susan following their bitter divorce.
After Mr Ascott’s death at 89 in November 2012, Venning “found” a new will, which Truro crown court heard was a forgery.
Prosecutors said he “used the opportunity to disinherit those he fell out with”.
A jury found the builder, of Boscastle, Cornwall, guilty of charges including fraud.
Lover Sally Clarke, 57, and Stephen Martin, 52, who witnessed the will, were handed suspended two-year terms for their involvement.