Pensioner battles his ‘workshy’ son over £650k home he saved for decades to afford

Backing: Neville Paull at court with his daughter Luisa who supports his case
Nev Ayling

A pensioner faces being forced out of his home by his son after he signed over the property to him in an attempt to protect the family assets, a court was told.

Neville Paull, 76, claims he has been “stitched up” by his son Bradley after being promised that he and his severely disabled partner could stay living in the house he bought after years working in the print industry. The High Court was told that Bradley, 52, has asked his father to vacate the property, saying to him: “You’re a lodger in my house.”

Mr Paull now wants a judge to hand him back ownership of the house. ­Bradley “emphatically denies” exploiting his father.

Mr Paull bought the £650,000 home in St Albans in 1993 and transferred ownership of the property to Bradley in 2010. His barrister Marc Beaumont said buying the house was a “much-vaunted emblem of elevation out of the working class”. “The stakes are high indeed — if Mr Paull loses, he loses his home in his old age,” Mr Beaumont added. Giving evidence, Mr Paull accused his son of being workshy.

“He used to be a different person, a nice man, and he is not now because he is so money-­motivated,” he said. “I listened to Bradley and I got stitched up.”

Mr Paull’s daughter Luisa was “appalled” when she found out about the situation, it was claimed.

The court was told Bradley offered his father £100,000 to move out, but this was only a fraction of the equity on the mortgage-free property.

Ewan Paton, Bradley’s barrister, argued the property transfer was a straightforward “freely made gift” to keep the home for his children, rather than his stepchildren.

He added that Mr Paull has painted himself as a “sheep” under his son’s influence, but this is “a gross mis-­characterisation”. The case in front of Judge Timothy Bowles continues.

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