A 33-year-old woman who was jilted by her lover af

A 33-year-old woman who was jilted by her lover after
handing over more than pnds stlng 23,000 and a half share in
her house, has won the return of her lost assets in London’s
High Court.

British Telecom clerical worker, Deirdre Neilson, was
‘unduly influenced’ into transferring her house and paying
large sums to her lover Craig Tovey, 31, Judge Phelan said.

Miss Neilson’s counsel, Mr Paul Staddon, told the court
that she and Mr Tovey, of (76) Mersey Road, Walthamstow first
began their ill-starred ‘romantic relationship’ in 1986.

He said the relationship was interrupted when Mr Tovey
served a prison term ‘but was resumed when he was released from
prison sometime in 1989,’ before finally ending in 1991.

He said that although his client knew Mr Tovey was married,
‘she believed, as a result of what he told her, that his
marriage had effectively ended and that he was in the process
of obtaining a divorce.

‘She believed he was in love with her and she was very much
in love with him,’ Mr Staddon said.

‘He told my client that he wanted them to live together as
man and wife and that she should bear his children and that he
would work to support them both and that she should look after
the family.

‘
Counsel said Miss Neilson’s will was ‘completely dominated’
by Mr Tovey’s, ‘and she would do almost anything he asked.

‘She accepted everything he said about where he was living
and why other women were describing themselves as Mrs Tovey.

She believed and accepted everything.

He said that in February 1990, Miss Neilson obtained a pnds
stlng 3,000 loan from the Halifax Building Society and gave it
to Mr Tovey.

‘In August 1990 she obtained a loan of pnds stlng 2,500
from the AA and gave that to Mr Tovey.

‘
And Mr Staddon said that in November 1990, Miss Neilson
transferred her pnds stlng 40,500 house at (84) Charter Lane,
Newbury Park, into their joint names and remortgaged it for pnds
stlng 60,000.

Counsel said that after repaying a loan to her father, Miss
Neilson handed over the balance of what was remaining to Mr
Tovey – pnds sterling 17,653.

‘That was the last she saw of him,’ Mr Staddon told the
court.

The judge ordered Mr Tovey, who did not attend the court
and was not represented, to repay to Miss Neilson pnds stlng
32,836 – being the pnds sterling 23,153 she gave to him, plus
interest of pnds stlng 9,683.

And he ordered that Miss Neilson’s home be re-transferred
back into her sole name.

Miss Neilson ‘was induced to make the gifts and to make the
transfer to Mr Tovey by his undue influence,’ the judge told
the court.

Mr Tovey was also ordered to pay the legal costs of the
action.

ends