A man who bombarded solicitors with abusive messages after his aunt left her £200,000 estate to charity rather than to him has been jailed and ordered to pay £35,000. Sean Stimson, who had been "very close" to his aunt, reacted with fury when he discovered he had been disinherited in favour of a charitable bequest, subjecting the lawyers handling the estate to what was described in court as "vitriolic" abuse.

The case highlights the sometimes bitter fallout that can follow when relatives are excluded from a will in favour of charitable giving, with professionals administering estates increasingly finding themselves targeted by aggrieved family members. Stimson's campaign of abuse against the legal team ultimately led to a criminal prosecution, resulting in a custodial sentence alongside a substantial financial penalty of £35,000.