Two cousins have successfully claimed a multi-million-pound fortune after a High Court judge untangled the mysterious and complex romantic life of their grandfather in a rare legal proceeding.
A Fortune in Limbo
The case centred on the estate of McDonald Noel, a bachelor who died in London in April 2018 at the age of 84. Born in Trinidad in 1934, he emigrated to London in 1960 and built a successful life as a shopkeeper and property tycoon. When he died intestate – without a will, spouse, or children – he left behind a gross estate valued at over £2.7 million, including a £1.5 million house in Batoum Gardens, Kensington.
With no direct heirs, the fortune was set to pass to the government. This attracted the attention of heir hunters from the firm Hoopers, who began investigating Mr Noel's family tree in the UK and the Caribbean to find his nearest living relatives.
A Tangled Genealogical Web
The investigation quickly revealed a convoluted family history. The key figure was McDonald's father, Stanley Dorant, who was born in Barbados in 1906 and died in Trinidad in 1968. The court heard that Stanley travelled frequently between the two islands and fathered children with different women.
McDonald's mother was Neutrice Dorant. She had another child, Stella, born in 1933, whose paternity was disputed. After Neutrice's death in 1938, Stanley married Clementina Forde in 1939. Clementina had moved to Trinidad from Barbados with her two sons, Clyde and St Clair Dorant. Stanley and Clementina then had a son together, Francis.
This led to four separate families coming forward to claim a share of McDonald Noel's estate, all asserting they were descended from Stanley Dorant. The subsequent dispute forced the High Court to conduct a rare 'kin enquiry' to determine the true bloodline.
The Judge's Ruling on Paternity
Presiding over the case, Master Katherine McQuail acknowledged the difficulty of determining paternity for children born in the 1930s without conclusive DNA evidence. She evaluated each claim on the balance of probabilities.
The judge confirmed that Francis was indisputably Stanley's son, as he was born during Stanley's marriage to Clementina and both parents were named on his birth certificate. His son, Shaka Dorant, was therefore a rightful heir.
Regarding St Clair, Master McQuail ruled it was "more probable than not" that Stanley was his father. Evidence showed Stanley had travelled to Barbados nine months before St Clair's birth and had a pre-existing relationship with Clementina. St Clair's daughter, Desiree Dorant, and her four siblings were declared beneficiaries.
However, the judge rejected the claims from the descendants of Clyde and Stella. For Clyde, there was no evidence Stanley was in Barbados at the time of his conception. For Stella, the timeline of Stanley's arrival in Trinidad made it unlikely he was the father, as it would have required a premature birth for which there was no evidence.
"I conclude that Stanley’s biological children were McDonald, St Clair and Francis only," Master McQuail stated, directing that the estate be distributed among the issue of McDonald's half-siblings.
Outcome of the Inheritance Dispute
The ruling means cousins Shaka Dorant and Desiree Dorant (representing her siblings) are the victors in the battle for the unclaimed millions. The court heard that Shaka is Stanley's only grandson through Francis, while Desiree has four siblings who will also share in the inheritance.
The case highlighted the cultural complexities of establishing paternity in a historical Caribbean context, with the court noting societal norms where relationships outside marriage were common and the practice of "giving a man a jacket" – attributing paternity for financial reasons – was known.
This landmark inheritance dispute not only secured a fortune for the rightful heirs but also provided a fascinating, if tangled, glimpse into a family's cross-continental history.
