A 91-year-old dementia-struck woman from Leeds "secretly" wed a younger man months before her death - leaving her family £200,000 out of pocket.
Joan Blass died in March 2016, and if losing her wasn't difficult enough, it was the start of a "nightmare" for her relatives.
Her son Michael, 53, and daughter Daphne, 62, became increasingly concerned when a man 23 years her junior befriended her and moved in. Their new initial friendship came just five months before her death.
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The aftershock of Joan's new man
Mrs Franks, of Skipton, North Yorkshire, said: "Mum never seemed to know he lived there. She was asking, 'what is his name? Where did he come from?'" At this stage, Joan could barely recall her own name, let alone that of her new toyboy.
And when she died, the family discovered that Mr Folan had married her. What's more, the dementia sufferer was also still wearing the wedding ring from her late husband Ron. Ron died in 2008 after 50 years of being together.
Her new marriage meant that her two children lost out on their £200,000 inheritance because the registry office ceremony annulled her will. Daphne discovered three days after her mother's death that she had been married in a civil ceremony at Leeds Town Hall.
Speaking to Predatory Marriage UK, Daphne said: "We had contacted my mother's GP on so many occasions, the police, the social services, and had also taken legal advice and had been told that she could not make another will or marry again because of her severe dementia."
Taking the toyboy to court
The marriage meant the will Mrs Blass had drawn up, naming her two children as beneficiaries, was void and she died intestate, meaning her new husband automatically inherited her assets.
Daphne decided to take legal action after Folan, now 70, too over the funeral arrangements. The hearing lasted four days but sadly for the family, siding with Mr Folan.
Mrs Franks and her relatives were left with a £200,000 legal bill. On top of that, none of Joan's relatives were invited to her funeral and she was buried in an unmarked grave.
Pushing for change
Since the "nightmare" the family have been pushing for action to stop "predatory marriages". Predatory Marriage UK aims to reform marriage laws and procedures to protect people with dementia.
In 2021 Fabian Hamilton, MP for Leeds North East, called on the PM to stop elderly and vulnerable people being preyed upon by tricksters leading to families losing their inheritance. Mr Hamilton first began campaigning on the matter a few years ago after hearing a story he could “hardly believe was possible in modern Britain”.
He said: “It’s not good enough for a registrar simply to say that because one of the participants in the marriage ceremony was smiling at the time, that meant consent was happily given."
The family have been working with Hourglass charity to welcome round-the-clock help. Mrs Franks said a 24/7 helpline would make an "absolute difference".
The Frank family have recently been working with Hourglass charity to get round-the-clock help for those affected by elder abuse. Ms Franks said a 24/7 helpline would make an "absolute difference".
She added that if she had known about a helpline before she would have "definitely rung it". The Hourglass charity said it was moving its helpline to a 24/7 operation because more than a quarter of the calls it received went unanswered during out of hours.
It said Home Office funding meant it was now able to extend its service to make sure calls were being answered day and night. Richard Robinson, Hourglass CEO, said: "Thankfully we are increasingly aware of other forms of abuse like child abuse and domestic violence, but the abuse of older people remains in the shadows even though it affects millions.
"So many people are suffering and don't know where to turn for help."
