0:00:02 > 0:00:06Heir hunters spend their lives tracking down families of people who died without leaving a will.
0:00:06 > 0:00:09They hand over thousands of pounds to long-lost relatives
0:00:09 > 0:00:12who had no idea they were in line for a windfall.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15Could they be knocking at your door?
0:00:30 > 0:00:34On today's programme, the heir hunters investigate
0:00:34 > 0:00:37the case of a man who was surrounded by friends...
0:00:37 > 0:00:40We all liked a good time.
0:00:40 > 0:00:42He was one of the lads.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45When we all sang, he sang. When we all danced, he danced.
0:00:45 > 0:00:49..but kept his family at a distance.
0:00:49 > 0:00:53I was upset to think that
0:00:53 > 0:00:57Ken had died and nobody told me.
0:00:57 > 0:01:00And could an elderly relative be at risk?
0:01:00 > 0:01:04The shocking tale of two shadowy figures responsible
0:01:04 > 0:01:08for crimes worth £2 million that rocked the world of heir hunting.
0:01:08 > 0:01:12This kind of fraud is despicable. It's stealing from the dead.
0:01:12 > 0:01:16Plus, we will have details of the hundreds of thousands of pounds
0:01:16 > 0:01:18worth of unclaimed estates held by the Treasury.
0:01:18 > 0:01:20Could you be due some cash?
0:01:25 > 0:01:28Two-thirds of people in Britain have not got a will.
0:01:28 > 0:01:33If they die without making one and no relatives can be found,
0:01:33 > 0:01:35their money goes to the Government.
0:01:35 > 0:01:39Last year, a staggering £18 million went into the pot.
0:01:39 > 0:01:4312 million of that was never claimed.
0:01:43 > 0:01:47Around the UK, more than 30 probate research companies
0:01:47 > 0:01:51compete to find missing heirs and help them claim the cash.
0:01:51 > 0:01:57Fraser and Fraser is one of the largest probate research firms in the world.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01Partner Neil Fraser knows that there is no room for short cuts in this business.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04You have to be a little bit of a perfectionist
0:02:04 > 0:02:07to make sure that you have found all the beneficiaries,
0:02:07 > 0:02:10we have explored every last avenue.
0:02:10 > 0:02:15Sometimes, that attention to detail can be the difference between finding a beneficiary
0:02:15 > 0:02:18and the estate ending up in the Treasury's solicitor's coffers.
0:02:22 > 0:02:26It's 7:00am on a Thursday morning.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29It's the day the Treasury publish their list of unclaimed estates.
0:02:29 > 0:02:36Case manager David Pacifico has come across an estate he thinks could be of interest.
0:02:36 > 0:02:40This is a new case called Kenneth William Adams who died in Birmingham
0:02:40 > 0:02:45only in June this year. It's a recent death.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50Kenneth Adams lived in this semi-detached house in Birmingham
0:02:50 > 0:02:52but his second home was his local.
0:02:52 > 0:02:57The landlady Carol Ann Johnson remembers him fondly.
0:02:57 > 0:02:59Ken's pint was a pint of mild.
0:02:59 > 0:03:01He used to come through the door
0:03:01 > 0:03:04and we used to have it pulled and ready for him.
0:03:04 > 0:03:09This was his table he used to sit on.
0:03:09 > 0:03:13His pint had to be in the right position for his newspaper.
0:03:13 > 0:03:18Open his newspaper and start picking his bets out.
0:03:18 > 0:03:19We just knew what he would do.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22He did the same very thing every single day.
0:03:22 > 0:03:26He used to have a giggle.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29We miss him, it is too quiet
0:03:29 > 0:03:32without his routine every day.
0:03:32 > 0:03:36He was lovely. We loved him to bits and miss him.
0:03:37 > 0:03:41And Kenneth had a large group of friends that always hung out together.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44When Kenny came out the army, late '50s,
0:03:44 > 0:03:48he met up with his old friends who he met before the army.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51But then, when they all drifted,
0:03:51 > 0:03:54it left him on his own so us being a gang,
0:03:54 > 0:03:56he drifted in with us.
0:03:56 > 0:04:02And he stayed with us right up until the end which was 45 years.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05He was a smashing kid. Quiet.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08He liked to do the things he liked to do.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10You couldn't tell him anything.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13He knew in his own mind what he wanted to do.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16But he was a good lad.
0:04:16 > 0:04:20We had been together 45 years, a long time.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22In all the time Dennis knew him,
0:04:22 > 0:04:25Kenneth never talked about his relations.
0:04:25 > 0:04:27He was on his own.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30He used to say, "No, I've got nobody.
0:04:30 > 0:04:31"Nobody at all."
0:04:32 > 0:04:35Despite his close links to his mates,
0:04:35 > 0:04:38Kenneth left no will when he passed away,
0:04:38 > 0:04:42leaving an estate of an estimated £110,000.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44It's a big sum of money. The team will have to act fast
0:04:44 > 0:04:48if they're to solve the case ahead of competing heir hunters.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51They've already sketched out some details.
0:04:51 > 0:04:53It looks like he might be an only child.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56We think his mother died in 1992.
0:04:56 > 0:05:01Born 1901 in Birmingham so it's all locally based.
0:05:01 > 0:05:03Using the records they have on file,
0:05:03 > 0:05:06the heir hunters are trying to find Kenneth's parents.
0:05:06 > 0:05:12Research director Gareth Langford thinks he may have found Kenneth's mum, Matilda, on a census.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15We've got a Matilda Harriet, born in 1901.
0:05:15 > 0:05:21The only census we've found so far is of Harriet Neale,
0:05:21 > 0:05:24who's born sort of in the right area
0:05:24 > 0:05:27but there's potentially another birth.
0:05:29 > 0:05:33So, we wonder if it is the right one, really.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36In the meantime, we need to work the census we have found
0:05:36 > 0:05:39but there's always that nagging doubt, is it the right one?
0:05:39 > 0:05:43The census is a national survey taken every ten years.
0:05:43 > 0:05:47It takes the essential details of every person
0:05:47 > 0:05:49at every address in the UK.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52It's a valuable tool for the heir hunters.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55Kenneth's mother's maiden name was Neale,
0:05:55 > 0:05:58which can be spelt several different ways.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04That can be a problem. Neale with an E at the end or without an E.
0:06:06 > 0:06:10The researchers need the right spelling off Kenneth's birth certificate.
0:06:12 > 0:06:17The company employ a group of travelling heir hunters based around the UK.
0:06:17 > 0:06:21They spend their days ready to sniff out clues and chase the facts
0:06:21 > 0:06:22that will lead them to the heirs.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25Ex-policeman and travelling heir hunter Paul Matthews
0:06:25 > 0:06:30has been Fraser's representative in Birmingham for the last eight years.
0:06:30 > 0:06:34He's been doing a spot of detective work and he's come up trumps.
0:06:34 > 0:06:36Hello, Dave, Paul.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38You have got the right family.
0:06:38 > 0:06:44Excellent. It starts with the marriage of the parents.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47OK, he is William Harold Adams.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50Although Paul hasn't actually got a copy of the certificate yet,
0:06:50 > 0:06:54through careful research at his end, he's found some names to work with.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56I'll catch up with you later.
0:06:56 > 0:07:00I'll be in the registry office at 9 o'clock when it opens.
0:07:00 > 0:07:01And take it from there.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04Cheers. Bye.
0:07:05 > 0:07:11That's a good start. Paul has come through with some information about the deceased's parent's marriage,
0:07:11 > 0:07:14the deceased mother's birth and the deceased's birth.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17It all ties up with what we thought it could have been.
0:07:17 > 0:07:22All this information means the team can now put together a family tree
0:07:22 > 0:07:25starting with Kenneth's parents.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27His father was William Adams.
0:07:27 > 0:07:29William was born in Swindon
0:07:29 > 0:07:33and he married Matilda Neale in Birmingham in 1929.
0:07:33 > 0:07:38When she had Kenneth, her one and only child in 1938, Matilda was 37.
0:07:38 > 0:07:40This was quite unusual for the time
0:07:40 > 0:07:43but it's not the only thing that stands out.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46The deceased, Kenneth William Adams,
0:07:46 > 0:07:49was actually born in the house that he died in,
0:07:49 > 0:07:51which is incredibly unusual.
0:07:51 > 0:07:52He was born in 1938
0:07:52 > 0:07:56and he has just absolutely gone nowhere. He died in the same house.
0:07:56 > 0:08:01As their research shows, Kenneth is an only child.
0:08:01 > 0:08:03The heir hunters know they now need to look for cousins
0:08:03 > 0:08:06as they are likely to be his closest living relatives.
0:08:06 > 0:08:11They really need more information from the certificates at the Birmingham Register Office.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14Travelling heir hunter Paul is on the case.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16Hello, Paul.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19I've got a bit of a luxury that because the kids are off school,
0:08:19 > 0:08:22I've flown right the way through to the registry office.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24I'm sitting outside, kicking my heels,
0:08:24 > 0:08:27just seeing if there's any more updates for us?
0:08:27 > 0:08:30We've got two deaths, which I would like you to get.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32We've got George Frederick Adams.
0:08:32 > 0:08:38And there was also, William had a sister, Rose Florence Adams.
0:08:38 > 0:08:42We've got Jean and Raymond G H Keeble,
0:08:42 > 0:08:45born March 1929, Birmingham.
0:08:45 > 0:08:51- Thanks, Paul. I will speak to you when you can.- Cheers, Dave. Bye.
0:08:53 > 0:08:55The office team are making progress
0:08:55 > 0:08:57mapping out Kenneth's father's family tree.
0:08:57 > 0:09:00Kenneth's grandad was Frederick Adams.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03He was a master painter and decorator.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06His skills were so in demand that he was one of the team
0:09:06 > 0:09:09that refurbished Queen Victoria's royal railway coach.
0:09:12 > 0:09:14Frederick married Florence in 1894
0:09:14 > 0:09:18and the young couple went on to have nine children
0:09:18 > 0:09:20who were Kenneth's aunts and uncles.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23Case manager Simon Grosvenor is looking at the eldest
0:09:23 > 0:09:25Edward Adams' death records.
0:09:25 > 0:09:30He died fourth November 1918, I think in France, but it could be Belgium.
0:09:30 > 0:09:32That means if he survived another seven days,
0:09:32 > 0:09:36he would have made it through the war. That is quite unlucky.
0:09:37 > 0:09:42Born in 1896, Kenneth's Uncle Frank would have been 18
0:09:42 > 0:09:45when World War I began in 1914.
0:09:45 > 0:09:50After four years of service, he had risen to the rank of Lance Corporal
0:09:50 > 0:09:53only to die just days before the end of the war.
0:09:58 > 0:10:02It's 10am and Simon is now looking for Kenneth's Aunty Rose
0:10:02 > 0:10:04who had two children.
0:10:04 > 0:10:10Raymond and Jean are the children of the deceased of Rose Florence
0:10:10 > 0:10:16who married a George Keeble in Birmingham in 1924.
0:10:16 > 0:10:18If either of them are still alive,
0:10:18 > 0:10:21the heir hunters could have found their first heirs.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24Simon has been looking at the electoral roll.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27We found Raymond and his wife living in Solihull.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30Because Raymond is still alive, he is a first cousin.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33If anyone's going to know things about the family,
0:10:33 > 0:10:35it's going to be him.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37In the Birmingham Register Office,
0:10:37 > 0:10:40Paul is up to his neck in certificates
0:10:40 > 0:10:42so he's asked for some help.
0:10:42 > 0:10:46- Yep?- Elsie May Neale.
0:10:48 > 0:10:51- Yep.- Daughter of William Neale.
0:10:51 > 0:10:55- Yep. - And Alice Neale, formerly Sheldon.
0:10:55 > 0:10:56Right, yes.
0:10:57 > 0:10:59With Paul busy gathering evidence,
0:10:59 > 0:11:02the office have called in a second travelling heir hunter,
0:11:02 > 0:11:05David Hadley, to track down possible beneficiaries.
0:11:05 > 0:11:11I've just had a phone call from David Pacifico and it looks like he's got
0:11:11 > 0:11:15a possible heir to be contacted in Solihull,
0:11:15 > 0:11:18which is just outside Birmingham.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21I'm on the M1 at the moment, heading towards Luton.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25It will probably take me an hour to get there, I would think.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28He's going to ring me back once he's got more details
0:11:28 > 0:11:29and a firm appointment.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32So, fingers crossed,
0:11:32 > 0:11:33I might get to see an heir.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38But there's a lot at stake here.
0:11:38 > 0:11:40The team have thrown all that manpower
0:11:40 > 0:11:43into solving this £110,000 estate.
0:11:43 > 0:11:47It's vital that Dave finds the heirs ahead of the competition.
0:11:47 > 0:11:51Still to come, the sad truth of why the Adams estate
0:11:51 > 0:11:54ended up on the Treasury list.
0:11:54 > 0:11:58Ken, he was set in his ways and you couldn't tell him,
0:11:58 > 0:12:00"You've got to do a will"
0:12:00 > 0:12:04because if you told Ken that, he wouldn't do it anyway.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13Heir hunting can often reveal surprising secrets
0:12:13 > 0:12:17but when Fraser and Fraser began working the estate of Violet Young,
0:12:17 > 0:12:19they revealed a lot more than that.
0:12:19 > 0:12:23They helped uncover a multi-million pound crime
0:12:23 > 0:12:26that sent a seismic shock through the world of heir hunting.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29This one event, or this series of events,
0:12:29 > 0:12:33has changed probate research and genealogy and heir hunting forever.
0:12:38 > 0:12:42This large but now derelict property in Ilford, Essex,
0:12:42 > 0:12:44was the home of Violet Young.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48Neighbour and fellow church goer Sheila Leek knew her well.
0:12:48 > 0:12:54She was very pleasant and she liked...
0:12:54 > 0:12:56absolutely loved coming to the chapel
0:12:56 > 0:13:00and being present there every month at the open days.
0:13:00 > 0:13:06When I took her home, mostly after the open days, in the car,
0:13:06 > 0:13:09and delivered her to her door,
0:13:09 > 0:13:14she would never allow anybody to come in the house.
0:13:14 > 0:13:20When Violet died in 2006, her house sat derelict and empty for months.
0:13:20 > 0:13:21With no known relatives,
0:13:21 > 0:13:24a neighbour decided to get in touch with Fraser and Fraser.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27Partner Andrew Fraser was cautious to begin with
0:13:27 > 0:13:29as there is a possibility
0:13:29 > 0:13:31there could still be a will hidden somewhere.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34All of our contacts and research
0:13:34 > 0:13:40is about working out whether this is a viable case for us to take on
0:13:40 > 0:13:45or whether it's going to be an economic loss for us.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48But Violet's estate promised to be large.
0:13:48 > 0:13:53The value of the house and the assets were in the region of £300,000.
0:13:53 > 0:13:57It's a huge sum and when the nursing home where Violet died
0:13:57 > 0:13:59confirmed she hasn't left a will,
0:13:59 > 0:14:02the heir hunters decided it was worth taking the case on.
0:14:02 > 0:14:04The case began like any other,
0:14:04 > 0:14:07with the team putting together a family tree in search of heirs.
0:14:07 > 0:14:12Senior researcher Gary Langford was on the investigation.
0:14:12 > 0:14:16We basically established where the birth was, the birth of Violet Young,
0:14:16 > 0:14:18and then we looked for her parents,
0:14:18 > 0:14:21which turned out to be, well, her father was George.
0:14:21 > 0:14:26So, not only did we have the surname Young to contend with, we also had George, George Young.
0:14:26 > 0:14:28There's an awful lot of George Youngs out there.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31But eventually, we found the parents' marriage and we discovered
0:14:31 > 0:14:34that Violet didn't have any brothers or sisters.
0:14:34 > 0:14:36So, we were off to cousins straightaway.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39And that's where things started to get a bit tricky.
0:14:39 > 0:14:44It looked like Violet's dad George came from a sprawling family.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47It turned out he had seven brothers and sisters,
0:14:47 > 0:14:48so eight, including George.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51But all of those people, all of his siblings
0:14:51 > 0:14:53had four or five or six children themselves
0:14:53 > 0:14:56and all of those people had four or five or six children.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59So, we started to get a very large tree together.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01As the research went on,
0:15:01 > 0:15:06Gareth was overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the family tree.
0:15:06 > 0:15:08It really is huge.
0:15:08 > 0:15:13This table is nowhere near big enough to look at the entire thing.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16It goes on and on and on and on.
0:15:18 > 0:15:20Faced with the daunting tree,
0:15:20 > 0:15:22Gareth and the team started at the top
0:15:22 > 0:15:25with Violet's grandparents and worked down.
0:15:25 > 0:15:29We were quite lucky with the uncles and aunts of the deceased.
0:15:29 > 0:15:33They were all born in the 1860s, 1870s, which made it quite easy to find them on the census.
0:15:33 > 0:15:35That gave us an awful lot of information.
0:15:35 > 0:15:39But the more they uncovered, the further afield the family went.
0:15:39 > 0:15:44What became apparent was that the family were going to spread around the globe.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47We've had heirs in Australia, America,
0:15:47 > 0:15:50New Zealand, China, South Africa.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53They really went everywhere that they could go.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56That's when started having problems because, obviously,
0:15:56 > 0:15:59it is very difficult to track down people overseas.
0:15:59 > 0:16:04Luckily for Fraser's, however, a few heirs did remain in the UK.
0:16:04 > 0:16:08Violet's father George had a brother called Edward.
0:16:08 > 0:16:12His daughter, Marie Young, was Violet's first cousin.
0:16:12 > 0:16:17Tim Daniel is her grandson and Violet's first cousin twice removed.
0:16:19 > 0:16:21Tim is a lawyer living in west London.
0:16:21 > 0:16:25The call from Fraser's came as a bolt out of the blue.
0:16:25 > 0:16:27It was a surprise.
0:16:27 > 0:16:32It was somebody whose existence none of us had ever been aware of.
0:16:32 > 0:16:36I've spoken to quite a number of my cousins
0:16:36 > 0:16:39and none of them had heard of her.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41So, I don't know, she must have lived,
0:16:41 > 0:16:45as far as we were concerned, quite a reclusive life.
0:16:45 > 0:16:51As it turns out, there are about 90 of us who were related to her,
0:16:51 > 0:16:57um, and we're all potential beneficiaries under her estate.
0:16:57 > 0:17:02The heir hunters had invested thousands of pounds into solving the case of Violet Young.
0:17:02 > 0:17:06But a new piece of information was about to come to light
0:17:06 > 0:17:08that could shatter their work.
0:17:08 > 0:17:12Having undertaken a large amount of research
0:17:12 > 0:17:14and in the final preparations
0:17:14 > 0:17:18for a grant of letter of administration to be made,
0:17:18 > 0:17:21a further check on the probate registry
0:17:21 > 0:17:24revealed that a will had been filed.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27It was devastating news for the heir hunters.
0:17:27 > 0:17:32The will left Violet's entire estate to a man by the name of Francis Fallon.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35Its existence meant Fraser and Fraser
0:17:35 > 0:17:38would earn nothing for all of their hard work.
0:17:38 > 0:17:40In this case, the Young case,
0:17:40 > 0:17:43we'd worked so hard and had such a huge tree.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46To discover very late in the day that there was a will was,
0:17:46 > 0:17:49you know, that was a real problem for us.
0:17:49 > 0:17:53It was also bad news for the many people who had been told
0:17:53 > 0:17:57they were heirs to Violet's £300,000 estate.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00None of my relatives would obviously get anything,
0:18:00 > 0:18:01I wouldn't get anything,
0:18:01 > 0:18:05and all the work which Fraser and Fraser had done
0:18:05 > 0:18:07in researching Violet and her background
0:18:07 > 0:18:12and who her relatives were would all have completely gone to waste.
0:18:12 > 0:18:16But there was something fishy about this new will.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19Violet's neighbour Sheila felt that its very existence
0:18:19 > 0:18:22was completely out of character for her friend.
0:18:22 > 0:18:27I felt that she wasn't too interested in what was going to happen
0:18:27 > 0:18:31because she was never interested in the house, as such.
0:18:31 > 0:18:36Otherwise, I think she would have at least tried to maintain it.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39She wasn't interested in
0:18:39 > 0:18:41any sort of monetary things.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46Even more surprisingly, the beneficiary on the will,
0:18:46 > 0:18:49Francis Fallon, was not a member of Violet's family
0:18:49 > 0:18:53and no one knew who he was or how he was connected.
0:18:53 > 0:18:58We'd heard from family members that the deceased didn't leave a will.
0:18:58 > 0:19:02Social services were involved and they said there was no will.
0:19:02 > 0:19:05So, alarm bells started to ring.
0:19:05 > 0:19:07So, who was Francis Fallon
0:19:07 > 0:19:14and why was he the beneficiary to Violet's £300,000 estate?
0:19:14 > 0:19:16The answer was a shocking revelation
0:19:16 > 0:19:20that would shake the world of heir hunting to its foundations.
0:19:27 > 0:19:29For every heir the heir hunters find,
0:19:29 > 0:19:32there are still thousands that need to be tracked down.
0:19:32 > 0:19:35Right now, there are 3,000 estates
0:19:35 > 0:19:38on the Treasury's unsolved case list.
0:19:38 > 0:19:42Today, we've got two cases that so far have had the professionals stumped.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45Could your knowledge be the key to cracking the case?
0:19:49 > 0:19:54Ronald Hart died in Ashford, London, on the fourth of May 2003.
0:19:54 > 0:19:56Did you know Ronald?
0:19:56 > 0:20:00Could you even be related to him and entitled to his cash?
0:20:02 > 0:20:07Arthur Kelso passed away on 21st November 1999
0:20:07 > 0:20:09in Bebington, Merseyside.
0:20:09 > 0:20:13So far, every attempt to find his rightful heir has failed.
0:20:13 > 0:20:17If no relatives can be found, his money will go to the Government.
0:20:17 > 0:20:19But could it be meant for you?
0:20:19 > 0:20:23If you know the names Ronald Hart or Arthur Kelso,
0:20:23 > 0:20:26you could have a fortune coming your way.
0:20:33 > 0:20:36Still to come, can heir hunters solve the riddle
0:20:36 > 0:20:40of why Kenneth Adams, who grew up surrounded by family...
0:20:40 > 0:20:43It was a family that was very close. They lived next door to each other
0:20:43 > 0:20:46and in their wills they're all talking about each other.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49..chose to lose touch with them.
0:20:52 > 0:20:56We used to go down to my grandmother's who lived next door to them.
0:20:56 > 0:21:02But even then, there was a certain amount of aloofness or shyness,
0:21:02 > 0:21:05I don't know which it was with Ken.
0:21:11 > 0:21:16In 2005, Fraser and Fraser began work on the estate of Violet Young
0:21:16 > 0:21:19who died alone in Ilford in Essex.
0:21:19 > 0:21:24She died with more than £300,000 in assets but she hadn't left a will.
0:21:24 > 0:21:28She didn't ever speak about family
0:21:28 > 0:21:33so I really wasn't quite sure what the situation was.
0:21:33 > 0:21:38In fact, I was very surprised to hear that there were 90 members,
0:21:38 > 0:21:41not close members, of the family.
0:21:42 > 0:21:45Believing that Violet Young had died intestate,
0:21:45 > 0:21:50Fraser and Fraser invested thousands of pounds researching the family tree
0:21:50 > 0:21:53and tracked down an incredible 90 heirs.
0:21:53 > 0:21:59But just when they thought their work was done, a will appeared, rendering all of their work useless.
0:21:59 > 0:22:04The fact that a will had turned up meant that none of the heirs we had traced
0:22:04 > 0:22:08would be entitled to benefit from Mrs Young's estate.
0:22:10 > 0:22:15One of the heirs and the administrator of the estate is Tim Daniel.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18It was obviously something that was quite unknown,
0:22:18 > 0:22:25obviously, to Fraser and Fraser or indeed to any of the rest of us so it came as something of a surprise.
0:22:25 > 0:22:27A bit of a shock, actually.
0:22:27 > 0:22:32All of Violet's estate had been left to a Francis Fallon.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35But there was no obvious link between the Violet and this man.
0:22:35 > 0:22:41When they discovered some discrepancies in the paperwork, it was enough to arouse suspicion.
0:22:41 > 0:22:47Andrew Fraser decided to consult a specialist, probate litigation expert, Clare Ainley.
0:22:47 > 0:22:54The allegations were simply that the circumstances of the execution of this will all pointed to the fact
0:22:54 > 0:22:58that it wasn't a document that Violet Young had signed.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02At that point, it had become apparent that
0:23:02 > 0:23:07a grant of probate had been taken out in favour of a Mr Francis Fallon.
0:23:07 > 0:23:12Everyone I spoke to in the course of my evidence gathering
0:23:12 > 0:23:17who had known Violet Young had never heard of Mr Fallon at all.
0:23:18 > 0:23:24She had one quite close friend who visited her both at the care home
0:23:24 > 0:23:29and subsequently in hospital and he had never heard her speak of this person at all. Um...
0:23:29 > 0:23:34So, I think again, the fact that she had, on the face of it,
0:23:34 > 0:23:38made a will in favour of someone that nobody had heard of
0:23:38 > 0:23:44and left her entire estate to this person, again, it just heightened everyone's suspicion.
0:23:44 > 0:23:50Clare was convinced something wasn't right and the fact that Francis Fallon's solicitors
0:23:50 > 0:23:56had begun to liquidate Violet's estate and put her property on the market rang alarm bells.
0:23:59 > 0:24:04I wrote fairly hastily to the solicitor acting for Mr Fallon,
0:24:04 > 0:24:09explaining the circumstances, telling them of our suspicions
0:24:09 > 0:24:14and that if steps weren't taken to halt the sale of the property,
0:24:14 > 0:24:19we would, in all likelihood, be instructed to go for an injunction.
0:24:19 > 0:24:23But Clare also knew she needed to take stronger measures.
0:24:23 > 0:24:27I decided it was time to get the police involved,
0:24:27 > 0:24:33to see if they could step in and use their powers, um, to seize the deeds to the property
0:24:33 > 0:24:36or threaten further action.
0:24:36 > 0:24:41The police needed to act fast before the house was sold
0:24:41 > 0:24:45and any other assets from Violet Young's estate were unlawfully taken.
0:24:45 > 0:24:49The property hadn't been sold but an attempt was being made to sell it.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54There was also money in the deceased's bank account that had gone
0:24:54 > 0:24:59and I was informed that Mr Fallon had taken the money out of the account.
0:24:59 > 0:25:03In fact, as well as getting the house put on the market,
0:25:03 > 0:25:07Francis Fallon had siphoned off a whopping £60,000.
0:25:09 > 0:25:15Mark Cross, a detective constable working for the Metropolitan Police Fraud Squad, was handling the case.
0:25:15 > 0:25:21This kind of fraud is despicable. It's stealing from the dead.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24But when Violet Young's case landed on his desk,
0:25:24 > 0:25:30DC Cross was in the middle of one of the largest ever probate fraud investigations.
0:25:30 > 0:25:34It was a crime worth £2 million and the man at the centre of the investigation
0:25:34 > 0:25:35was one Francis Fallon.
0:25:35 > 0:25:40I was allocated this investigation in November of 2007
0:25:40 > 0:25:44and it was a referral from the Land Registry.
0:25:44 > 0:25:50The defendant, Frank Fallon, had been identified as carrying out numerous searches online
0:25:50 > 0:25:52in relation to certain properties.
0:25:52 > 0:25:57Fallon worked with an accomplice called Richard Carr.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00Fallon had been using the Treasury's list of unclaimed estates
0:26:00 > 0:26:03to find people who had passed away who had property.
0:26:03 > 0:26:09He then attempted to illegally transfer the properties into his own name.
0:26:09 > 0:26:13Fallon and Carr could have made millions of pounds by selling properties
0:26:13 > 0:26:15that they were not entitled to.
0:26:15 > 0:26:20They managed to register properties in alias names that they were using
0:26:20 > 0:26:24and in some cases, sell houses that they were not entitled to.
0:26:24 > 0:26:28And Violet Young's house was a prime target.
0:26:28 > 0:26:33She had not registered the property, she had been left at by her parents and she lived there alone.
0:26:33 > 0:26:38Upon being granted probate, Frank Fallon emptied the bank accounts of Violet Young.
0:26:38 > 0:26:42There was in the region of £60,000 in her bank accounts
0:26:42 > 0:26:46and he transferred that money to a bank account of his own and used the money as his own.
0:26:46 > 0:26:52DC Cross needed to prove they had been foul play in the creation of Violet's will.
0:26:52 > 0:26:57His first stop was to call in a handwriting expert.
0:26:57 > 0:27:01I suspected that the signature of Violet Young was in fact a forgery.
0:27:01 > 0:27:06During my inquiries, I recovered some signatures of Violet Young
0:27:06 > 0:27:09on documentation from the care home where she was living.
0:27:09 > 0:27:14And certainly, to the untrained eye, the signatures did not match.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17Therefore, I suspected we were dealing with a forged will
0:27:17 > 0:27:20and I made further inquiries in relation to it.
0:27:20 > 0:27:26The Violet Young side of the investigation was very important to show that Frank Fallon
0:27:26 > 0:27:31was not afraid to submit documentation to probate departments.
0:27:31 > 0:27:38He purported to be the beneficiary of the will, was quite happy,
0:27:38 > 0:27:41even though the will was forged,
0:27:41 > 0:27:49to put himself forward in his own name as the beneficiary, and was not afraid to front out, if you like,
0:27:49 > 0:27:51the different organisations in this country.
0:27:51 > 0:27:57With strong, positive evidence from the handwriting experts and plenty of circumstantial evidence,
0:27:57 > 0:28:03DC Cross's team were finally ready to bring in Fallon and Carr.
0:28:03 > 0:28:09In December 2008, we have collated enough evidence to arrange the arrests
0:28:09 > 0:28:11of Frank Fallon and Richard Carr.
0:28:11 > 0:28:14The ruthless pair of modern-day grave robbers
0:28:14 > 0:28:18that had preyed on the estates of innocent people like Violet Young
0:28:18 > 0:28:22were charged and remanded in custody.
0:28:29 > 0:28:36Following the examination of Richard Carr's computer, we found a copy of one of the wills.
0:28:36 > 0:28:40That assisted us in evidence in forgery of that will.
0:28:40 > 0:28:47Also, we found a deed of gift which related to Violet Young, which showed
0:28:47 > 0:28:50the two were involved together in preparing documentation to try and prove
0:28:50 > 0:28:54that they were the beneficiaries of the estate of a Violet Young.
0:28:54 > 0:29:01In November 2009, when the trial of Francis Fallon and Richard Carr begins,
0:29:01 > 0:29:07along with the case of Violet Young, they are being charged with 11 other counts of probate fraud.
0:29:07 > 0:29:11Andrew Fraser is called as a key witness.
0:29:11 > 0:29:16I'm very nervous, actually. Yeah, we're talking about criminal matters, none of this civil matters,
0:29:16 > 0:29:19you said this, I said that and the court decides.
0:29:19 > 0:29:21This is a criminal prosecution.
0:29:21 > 0:29:25Francis Fallon, I understand, is on remand.
0:29:25 > 0:29:29He has been in Wandsworth prison for nearly a year now, and the outcome is
0:29:29 > 0:29:33if he is found guilty, it's likely to be a custodial sentence.
0:29:34 > 0:29:41Having given evidence at the trial, Andrew is confident that justice was going to be done.
0:29:41 > 0:29:44I hoped on the conclusion of this case they would write to all 90 heirs
0:29:44 > 0:29:51entitled to Violet Young's estate to tell them that Mr Fallon's been found guilty of forgery
0:29:51 > 0:29:54and, and as such, his will, as proved, will be struck out.
0:29:55 > 0:30:01Three weeks later, the jury returned their verdict, and both Fallon and Carr are found guilty on all counts.
0:30:01 > 0:30:05Fallon is sentenced to seven years in prison,
0:30:05 > 0:30:10whilst Carr, who is been convicted in his absence, remains on the run.
0:30:10 > 0:30:12It was a very satisfying result,
0:30:12 > 0:30:16and a lengthy prison sentence that was thoroughly justified for their offences.
0:30:16 > 0:30:20Frank Fallon made half a million pounds himself,
0:30:20 > 0:30:25and had he been successful in selling the properties he transferred
0:30:25 > 0:30:28into identities that were not true,
0:30:28 > 0:30:31he could have sold the properties for several million pounds.
0:30:31 > 0:30:38We are now using the Proceeds of Crime Act to try and identify the assets of Frank Fallon
0:30:38 > 0:30:44and recover monies from him to enable us to compensate the victims of this crime.
0:30:44 > 0:30:48Fallon and Carr used a number of ways to identify potential victims,
0:30:48 > 0:30:52including the Treasury's list of unclaimed estates.
0:30:52 > 0:30:54As a result of their activities,
0:30:54 > 0:30:58the Government decided to take steps to guard against this type of fraud in the future.
0:30:58 > 0:31:04In 2007, the Treasury stopped publishing the values on the list of unclaimed estates.
0:31:04 > 0:31:10Now the list only includes the name, place and date of death of the person who has died.
0:31:10 > 0:31:16It may protect against foul play in the future, but it also adds another layer of work for the heir hunters.
0:31:16 > 0:31:20Now they start their research by trying to put a value on the estate,
0:31:20 > 0:31:23before deciding whether a case is worth taking on or not.
0:31:23 > 0:31:31To lose the values of the estates dramatically changes how Probate research or heir hunting works.
0:31:31 > 0:31:36In 2007, we were doing two cases, maybe three cases a week.
0:31:36 > 0:31:42Now, in 2009, at the end of the legal case, we are during 10 to 15, 20 cases some days,
0:31:42 > 0:31:48so a huge amount of extra work, even if some of them we don't take through to the end.
0:31:48 > 0:31:52It's certainly increased our workload dramatically.
0:31:52 > 0:31:58Everyone is relieved that someone has actually been caught for this.
0:31:58 > 0:32:03I think we were happy to know that we put a stop to it in the first place, to stop...
0:32:03 > 0:32:06No future frauds of this type could happen.
0:32:08 > 0:32:12But whilst Fallon has been brought to justice,
0:32:12 > 0:32:15it's vital that the heir hunters keep vigilant.
0:32:15 > 0:32:22I fear that if this estate had not been referred to us by a member of the public,
0:32:22 > 0:32:25he could very well have got away with it.
0:32:25 > 0:32:33Because Frasers got referred early on in the cycle, and before the fraud was completed,
0:32:33 > 0:32:36that's why we have managed to put a stop to it
0:32:36 > 0:32:40and why the police have been able to put a conviction together.
0:32:42 > 0:32:45Another month, another two months, would have been too late.
0:32:45 > 0:32:53And for the family and friends of Violet Young, Fallon's conviction is a triumph of justice.
0:32:53 > 0:32:56Some crimes are talked about as being victimless, but actually,
0:32:56 > 0:32:58this is a crime with victims,
0:32:58 > 0:33:04because there are legitimate relations who should have inherited the estate,
0:33:04 > 0:33:07who may not have known of the existence of the person
0:33:07 > 0:33:12but under the law they are entitled to be beneficiaries and basically,
0:33:12 > 0:33:18they are being cheated out of their lawful inheritance by criminal means.
0:33:24 > 0:33:27In November 2009, one estate listed by the
0:33:27 > 0:33:32Treasury solicitor without releasing the value was that of Kenneth Adams.
0:33:32 > 0:33:35Heir hunters, Fraser and Fraser, have picked up the case
0:33:35 > 0:33:41and discovered that he owned his own house, estimated to be worth £110,000.
0:33:43 > 0:33:48The team have dispatched travelling heir hunters in the hunt for Kenneth's rightful beneficiaries,
0:33:48 > 0:33:54but as far as Kenneth's friend knew, he had no family, and kept his personal life private.
0:33:54 > 0:33:57There was one girl I think he had his eye on,
0:33:57 > 0:33:59but they was always together,
0:33:59 > 0:34:03then one day they just parted and never spoke again.
0:34:03 > 0:34:08I went up to the girl one day and I said, whatever happened to you and Ken?
0:34:08 > 0:34:12Why didn't... We all thought you was made for each other.
0:34:12 > 0:34:16She said, I asked him to take me out,
0:34:16 > 0:34:21he said no, and walked way, and that was it, he never spoke to her again!
0:34:21 > 0:34:24Kenneth may not have been romantically inclined,
0:34:24 > 0:34:29but the landlady at his local, Carolanne Johnson, certainly had a soft spot for him.
0:34:29 > 0:34:31We miss Ken terrible.
0:34:31 > 0:34:38He's just one of our customers that, you know, it he was that sort of lovely, bubbly man.
0:34:38 > 0:34:43He was lovely. You just wanted to cuddle him. That was Ken.
0:34:43 > 0:34:47At an estimated £110,000,
0:34:47 > 0:34:51this estate is likely to have lots of competition chasing heirs.
0:34:52 > 0:34:58David Pacifico has called Michelle, the daughter of Raymond Keeble, a potential heir.
0:34:58 > 0:35:01Thank you very much indeed.
0:35:01 > 0:35:02Thank you. Bye-bye.
0:35:04 > 0:35:06Excellent. Very good call indeed.
0:35:06 > 0:35:10It's sort of verified the family of which, it looks as if,
0:35:10 > 0:35:14there may only be three beneficiaries on this side of the family.
0:35:14 > 0:35:19One being an aunt of the deceased, who's 103 in a nursing home, which is great news.
0:35:19 > 0:35:22And this lady's father's still alive, and so is her aunt.
0:35:22 > 0:35:30She knew a good deal of knowledge about her grandmother's brothers and sisters because she was so interested
0:35:30 > 0:35:36in her family tree, and this is why she was able to confirm to me
0:35:36 > 0:35:40about whether these great aunts and uncles were married or not,
0:35:40 > 0:35:45so she's actually mentioned every one of the ones that we had in our family tree, which ties up.
0:35:45 > 0:35:48Despite having had eight brothers and sisters,
0:35:48 > 0:35:52there are now only three living relatives on Kenneth's dad's side,
0:35:52 > 0:35:53and they are all heirs.
0:35:53 > 0:35:57Edith, who is Kenneth's auntie, and his cousins, Raymond and Jean.
0:35:57 > 0:36:03Travelling heir hunter, Dave Hadley, gets the call to go and sign Raymond.
0:36:03 > 0:36:08He's available to be seen any time, so I'm going to make our way straight there now,
0:36:08 > 0:36:13and then hopefully I'll also be able to arrange an appointment to see his sister, who's also an heir
0:36:13 > 0:36:17at about four o'clock this afternoon, when she gets home from work.
0:36:17 > 0:36:22In the office, Gareth is amazed that such a large family would have so few offspring.
0:36:22 > 0:36:26There's something even more surprising.
0:36:26 > 0:36:31It was a family that was very close, they were living next door to each other...
0:36:31 > 0:36:34In their wills, they're all talking about each other,
0:36:34 > 0:36:37but it sort of looks like the family have just sort of filtered down to,
0:36:37 > 0:36:41you know, the last surviving few who happen to have lost contact with each other.
0:36:41 > 0:36:48It looks as though, at some stage, they were a close family but, you know, sands of time, it sort of
0:36:48 > 0:36:50drifted apart a little bit.
0:36:50 > 0:36:54Dave Hadley is hoping to sign Raymond Keeble.
0:36:54 > 0:37:00He was 10 years older than his cousin Kenneth, and the news of his death has come as a shock.
0:37:00 > 0:37:04I was going to phone him the end of the week.
0:37:04 > 0:37:08We spoke just before Christmas, and
0:37:08 > 0:37:10he seemed to be doing OK.
0:37:10 > 0:37:16Right. I'm surprised that nobody contacted you, then. Maybe they just didn't find your details.
0:37:16 > 0:37:21I mean, he had got his friends, and I'm surprised that they hadn't my contact.
0:37:23 > 0:37:27Raymond has a picture of another heir, Kenneth's aunty Edith.
0:37:27 > 0:37:31That lady up there on the end is 103.
0:37:31 > 0:37:34Yeah, I understand that there's still somebody
0:37:34 > 0:37:37in the family of that age, which is amazing, isn't it?
0:37:37 > 0:37:42Raymond has his own theories why the cousins weren't in close contact.
0:37:42 > 0:37:45Ken was never close to the family.
0:37:45 > 0:37:49He had lost his parents some years ago,
0:37:49 > 0:37:51but he had got friends.
0:37:51 > 0:37:55I saw more of him when he was little,
0:37:55 > 0:37:57together with my sister.
0:37:57 > 0:38:02We used to go down to my grandmother's, my mother's mother,
0:38:02 > 0:38:04who lived next door to them.
0:38:04 > 0:38:06But even then, it was...
0:38:06 > 0:38:14There was a certain amount of aloofness or shyness, I don't know which it was with Ken,
0:38:14 > 0:38:18but he just seemed to keep himself to his self.
0:38:18 > 0:38:22Raymond asks Fraser's to help him submit his claim.
0:38:22 > 0:38:25Back in the register office, Paul's day is done.
0:38:25 > 0:38:2810 maternal cousins and aunts on both sides.
0:38:28 > 0:38:32Of those, we've only got five heirs, so it's a big tree but not many heirs.
0:38:32 > 0:38:34That's fantastic news for us.
0:38:34 > 0:38:39Meanwhile, travelling heir hunter Dave has arrived at Kenneth's other cousin's house, Jean Waring.
0:38:39 > 0:38:42Hello, Mrs Waring? Hello there.
0:38:42 > 0:38:45David Hadley from Fraser and Fraser.
0:38:45 > 0:38:46How do you do?
0:38:48 > 0:38:54This is the family tree here, so this is you and there's your brother.
0:38:54 > 0:38:59There's your mother, Rose, and if we follow that line along,
0:38:59 > 0:39:03there's Kenneth and there's his father, William, and his mother...
0:39:03 > 0:39:05Was it William? We called him Harold.
0:39:05 > 0:39:08His father was William Harold Adams.
0:39:08 > 0:39:14A lot of people used to use their middle names in those days, and I think most of your family did,
0:39:14 > 0:39:18because when I was speaking to your brother, he said, "Frank?"
0:39:18 > 0:39:20I said, "Was it Edward Frank?"
0:39:20 > 0:39:24So they obviously use their middle names.
0:39:24 > 0:39:27Your mother would have been entitled to a share if she had been alive,
0:39:27 > 0:39:32but because your mother's passed away, then her share passes down to her children.
0:39:33 > 0:39:37Jean has found the news of Kenneth's death very unsettling.
0:39:37 > 0:39:45I was upset to think that Ken had died and nobody told me.
0:39:45 > 0:39:51Ken was definitely... a chap on his own.
0:39:51 > 0:39:58All I can remember is he used to be quite happy going out with his two pals
0:39:58 > 0:40:00and they would go round for a drink,
0:40:00 > 0:40:03and that's about all.
0:40:03 > 0:40:06Jean has also asked Frasers to help her submit her claim.
0:40:06 > 0:40:12It's mid-afternoon, and the heir hunters have found all the heirs to Kenneth's estate.
0:40:12 > 0:40:15David Pacifico is pleased at how the investigation went.
0:40:15 > 0:40:22I am very happy with the outcome of this case because it looked like we located all the heirs,
0:40:22 > 0:40:25and it has all tied up nicely.
0:40:25 > 0:40:31The team contacted five heirs who will share the £110,000 between them,
0:40:31 > 0:40:37but Ken's case would never have gone to the Treasury if he had made a will.
0:40:37 > 0:40:39Ken, he was set in his ways,
0:40:39 > 0:40:45and you couldn't tell him, you have got to do a will, cos
0:40:45 > 0:40:47if you told Ken that, he wouldn't do it anyway.
0:40:47 > 0:40:52He was convinced that his best friend, and as far as
0:40:52 > 0:40:57he was concerned next of kin, would get whatever he had got.
0:41:01 > 0:41:04We used to say, "Have you made a will?" "No."
0:41:04 > 0:41:06He just didn't want to know.
0:41:06 > 0:41:11I don't know why, I don't know whether he thought, well, why should I pay for somebody else to have...
0:41:11 > 0:41:15I don't know. He just said, no, I ain't going to bother. That was it, full stop.
0:41:15 > 0:41:19He always used to say, "Well, you're my next of kin." I said, "That don't mean a thing, Ken."
0:41:21 > 0:41:27Ken may have died without his family's knowledge, but his friends made sure he had a good send-off.
0:41:31 > 0:41:38Ken was cremated at Yardley's Cemetery.
0:41:38 > 0:41:45His mum and dad was also there, so it was the correct thing for Dennis to decide that he should go up there
0:41:45 > 0:41:47with his parents.
0:41:49 > 0:41:54Dennis was the one that sorted out the funeral itself.
0:41:54 > 0:41:58I volunteered to do the buffet,
0:41:58 > 0:42:01cos I didn't want him to go without a wake.
0:42:01 > 0:42:08He was happy and content here and we felt that the right thing to do
0:42:08 > 0:42:10was to give him a good send-off.
0:42:12 > 0:42:17This is the only place he could really have had his do afterwards.
0:42:17 > 0:42:21Of course, we came back here and it was like meeting the old days
0:42:21 > 0:42:29cos some of his friends which we hadn't seen for many, many years had turned up.
0:42:29 > 0:42:32It was nice to see them.
0:42:32 > 0:42:34We had all got all older.
0:42:34 > 0:42:39We had a laugh, some of the things they knew about him which we didn't know about.
0:42:39 > 0:42:42It was great, yes.
0:42:42 > 0:42:44Pity it had to end the way it did.
0:42:47 > 0:42:49If you would like to find out more
0:42:49 > 0:42:51about how to build a family tree,
0:42:51 > 0:42:54or write a will, go to:
0:43:00 > 0:43:02Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:43:02 > 0:43:05E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk