Two cousins have won a High Court battle for a share of the unclaimed £2 million-plus fortune of a bachelor multimillionaire, after being tracked down by heir hunters investigating the mysterious romantic life of their grandfather.
McDonald Noel, born in Trinidad, emigrated to London in 1960 and died a rich man in 2018 at age 84, leaving a gross estate of £2.7 million, including a £1.5 million house in Kensington. Unmarried and childless, he left no will, meaning his millions were destined for the government until heir hunters intervened.
The case centred on the convoluted love life of McDonald's father, Stanley Dorant, with four families claiming descent from him. Judge Master Katherine McQuail ruled in favour of cousins Shaka and Desiree Dorant, finding that their fathers were also Stanley's sons and thus half-brothers to McDonald.
The court heard that Stanley, originally from Barbados, fathered children in both Trinidad and Barbados. He had a son, Francis, with Clementina Forde, whom he married in 1939. Clementina already had two sons, Clyde and St Clair, whose descendants also claimed a share. Stella, McDonald's full sister, was also argued to be Stanley's child.
Master McQuail said: 'I am being asked to determine the paternity of children born in the 1930s. Absent conclusive DNA results, there can be no certainty and so I must do my best on the available evidence.' She noted that each claimant had the burden of proving their parent or grandparent was Stanley's child.
The ruling means Shaka and Desiree Dorant are entitled to a portion of the estate, while other claimants failed to prove their lineage. The case highlighted the challenges of establishing paternity in a Caribbean context where relationships outside marriage were common.
