Lisa Curtis talks to Daphne Franks, Communication Skills Teacher at Leeds Medical School, about Predatory Marriage.
Daphne’s mother, Joan, was 91 with severe dementia and terminal cancer. She died in March 2016. After this, Daphne found that a much younger man, age 68, had secretly married her five months previously.
Joan never knew that she had married this man. And in UK law, marriage annuls wills. So Daphne’s mother had effectively died without a will, leaving the man to inherit her entire estate.
In this episode of Safeguarding Matters, Lisa and Daphne discuss the definition of Predatory Marriage – a term that may be unfamiliar to many. Daphne then tells her story, and offers some advice for anyone who might suspect that one of their relatives has become a victim of Predatory Marriage.
Finally, they explore some of the legal and systemic changes that could help to prevent this form of abuse.
Watch Daphne tell her story as part of a documentary series called “Inheritance Wars” which featured on Channel 5.
You can learn more about Daphne’s story on the Justice for Joan website, which also features a lot more information and advice about Predatory Marriage.
Listen below: