Two women are locked in a High Court battle over the £1.8 million fortune of a bigamist accountant who secretly married both of them in Las Vegas without divorcing his first wife. James Dinsdale, a property developer and accountant, died of cancer in October 2020 at age 55, leaving his most recent partner, beautician Margaret Dinsdale, 41, to discover she was not legally his wife.
Margaret married James in 2017 at the Little Chapel of the Flowers in Las Vegas, unaware that he was still married to cosmetic dentist Dr Victoria Fowell, 53, whom he had wed at a chapel just 600 metres away in 2012. James never divorced Dr Fowell, making his second marriage void under UK law and leaving Margaret with no automatic inheritance rights.
Margaret has launched a claim under the 1975 Inheritance Act, arguing she should be treated as a spouse because she married in good faith. Her barrister, Jonathan Davey KC, told the court that Margaret had no idea James was still married and only learned of it after his death. He said Margaret was James's primary carer during his final illness, giving up work to look after him 24 hours a day.
James died without a will, meaning his estate would normally be divided between Dr Fowell and his son, William Dinsdale, 28, under intestacy rules, leaving Margaret with nothing. Margaret's legal team argues she is entitled to at least half of the £1.8 million, citing her six-year relationship, financial dependence, and the lavish lifestyle she shared with James.
Dr Fowell and William Dinsdale were not financially dependent on James at the time of his death. The court heard that Margaret has allegedly already received £375,000 from the estate, but her barrister denied this. A future hearing will determine how the estate should be divided.
