Database for wills launched
The son of a multi-millionaire who was left with nothing after his father’s will disappeared has vowed to help others avoid a similar fate.
Yan Whittaker, 21, from Sheffield, was stunned after discovering he had not inherited anything from the 43-year-old businessman - despite being told previously that he had been included in his will.
Yan’s father, also called Yan, was killed in January this year after his £136,000 red Ferrari careered off a dual carriageway and exploded.
The father-of-three had told his son he had re-written his will in 2005 leaving him a substantial amount of money.
However, following his death the will disappeared without a trace.
Yan’s step-mother, Jayne Whittaker, 41, inherited everything, including a £1.2 million home and the family business Whittakers, which sells luxurious horseboxes to the world’s rich and famous.
Following months of legal wrangling, Yan discovered he had no way of proving the will ever existed.
He said: “I knew my father had written a will in 2005 which included me in it. “Members of my family had seen the 2005 will and its existence was well known.
“After my father’s death we couldn’t find the 2005 will, it had simply disappeared and the only will we could find dated back to 2003 and left everything to my step-mother Jayne Whittaker, who was separated from Dad.
Yan’s personal experience resulted in him launching The Will Registry UK - www.thewillregistryuk.co.uk - a national database which records details of when, where and with which firm of solicitors a will has been made.