Dr Sean Stimson jailed 28 days and ordered to pay £35,000 in inheritance dispute

Dr Sean Stimson was convicted of contempt of court after sending abusive emails and a threatening letter to the law firm Foot Anstey, which was administering the estate of his aunt, Helen Smith. The High Court in London heard that Stimson called the solicitors offensive names and threatened to "beat the sh*t" out of them, breaching a prior order that prohibited such conduct.

Mr Justice Griffiths sentenced Stimson to 28 days in jail and ordered him to cover the firm's £35,000 legal costs. The dispute centred on Smith’s £200,000 estate, which she left to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) and a hospice, while Stimson argued the family home in Swindon should remain within the family. Earlier judgments by Mrs Justice Hill highlighted that the 2016 will made no provision for Stimson and that his claims about a later 2020 will were unsupported.

The case underscores the court’s intolerance for intimidation of legal representatives in probate matters.