A SISTER who is locked in a bitter spat with her siblings over their mum's £900,000 inheritance claims they ganged up to cheat her out of it.
Reverend Anne Lettice, 70, took her five brothers and sisters to court after their mother Margaret Lettice died aged 99 in 2019 – splitting her fortune between all her kids and grandkids.
The church minister, who had lived with her mum at her £875,000 north London home, was left with a legacy of about £105,000.
But the will sparked a bitter row, with Rev Lettice launching a claim to a bigger payment from the estate than her siblings.
She now claims that what she was given has left her unable to house herself or pay for her everyday needs.
Battling her family in High Court, she says the will did not make "reasonable provision" for her and she should get more, having devoted almost two decades to caring for her elderly mum after her dad Frederick died in 2001.
Anne claims that – in denying that she provided care to their mum – her five brothers and sisters have ganged up against her to try to beat her claim to more money from the estate.
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London's High Court heard mum-of-one Rev Lettice is a former mental health nurse, who has dedicated her life to God for more than 20 years.
Rev Lettice told the court she had provided "round the clock care" for her mum, helping her with her meals, dressing and medication, and being there for whatever she needed.
But her brothers and sisters deny she was their mum's main caregiver and say she is not due any more than them of the inheritance cash.
Giving evidence, her Tottenham-based brother, Brian, cast doubt on Rev Lettice's claim to have been her mum's 24-hour carer, telling the court that she was frequently away from his mother's home.
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"She was mostly absent from the house, usually from 7am until 10pm each day," he said in his evidence.
"My mother would often express concern that no one knew where she was going and what she was doing.
"We still don't know what she was doing, but certainly she wasn't providing care for my mum."
Margaret's grandson Samuel Lettice – who stands to inherit about £43,750 – told the judge that he had visited his gran and stayed with her when he came to the UK for his honeymoon from Australia in 2010.
He described his gran as "funny, sociable and quick-witted."
She was always up early and ready for a chat, while he rarely saw his aunt Anne, who was "definitely not caring for" Margaret when he visited.
And her son, Frederick Lettice, giving evidence via a video link from Australia, claimed it had been Linda – who also lived for years with her mum – who was the "predominant carer."
Barrister Anna Metcalfe, representing Rev Lettice's siblings, nieces and nephews, claimed Anne had not proved that she needed any more than the £105,000 she was left in her mum's will, and that Margaret had no greater obligation to her above the other children.
Margaret had not considered herself under an obligation to Rev Lettice, having made it clear in her will that she wanted her out of the house so it could be sold when she died, she said.
She continued: "Her testamentary intentions are important. They were considered and clear, and she wanted to benefit all her children equally."
And she said nine members of Margaret's close family had confirmed that she was not cared for "round-the-clock" by her daughter.
"According to their statements, not only did you not provide round-the-clock care for 17 years, you didn't really provide any care at all," she put to the reverend in the witness box.
It is obvious they have taken counsel against me. If you look at their statements, they're virtually all saying the same thing."
The mum's will, signed in 2014, ordered the sale of the four-bedroom house, with the proceeds split between all the families of her six children.
Rev Lettice was to get approximately £105,000, her brother Brian, 63, and retired nurse sister Linda Lettice, 61, each getting £149,000, sister Sylvia Ricks £105,000 and Australia-based brothers Frederick, 64, and Peter £61,000 each.
Margaret's grandchildren would also benefit by getting shares, so that the will effectively split the house and cash equally six ways between her kids' families.
Responding to her siblings statements, Rev Lettice said her family's claim that she didn't provide care for her mum was a "total lie" and that they had ganged up against her to defeat her.
She told the judge: "It is obvious they have taken counsel against me.
"If you look at their statements, they're virtually all saying the same thing.
"My siblings and their children have taken counsel together and come up with basically the same statement."
She said her mother had wanted all her kids to have their own homes, but that she had instead stayed with her mum to "honour" and care for her after her dad died.
"I decided to stay on and care for my mother," she said.
"My siblings had other commitments which were of priority to them, but I was in a position where I could care for my mother. She could depend on me 100%."
She said she had helped her mum with food, washing, sorting clothes, cleaning and shopping.
Rev Lettice added that if she was absent from the house at times, it was because she made herself scarce when people visited her mum.
The reverend accepted that the house would have to be sold, but said she had made a claim for "reasonable provision" from the estate in order to be able to buy a "reasonable abode" for herself and to cover living costs.
Rev Lettice did not reveal exactly how much she wants, but said she could probably find a new home with about £160,000, although she would need more than that to cover other living expenses.
She said she had currently had nothing to live on beyond a small state pension, but her siblings' barrister pointed out that she had not run up any debt in the three years since her mum died.
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The reverend's claim was heard in London's High Court last week by a judge, Deputy Master Katherine McQuail.
However, the family have been left facing an anxious wait after she delayed giving her decision until a later date.
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