Mariia Romanyshyn, a 38-year-old Ukrainian waitress, has vowed to stay in the £650,000 home she was gifted by Richard Joy, an 82-year-old recluse, despite losing a legal battle against his family. Joy, a lifelong bachelor and military memorabilia collector, died in May 2018 after living his entire life in the semi-detached property in Harrow, north-west London. The Central London County Court heard that Joy gifted his home to Romanyshyn less than two years before his death.
Romanyshyn claimed she formed a close bond with Joy, who visited “The Upper Crust” café in Harrow three times a week. She stated that Joy eventually invited her and her family to live with him as an “adopted family” and decided to gift her the house in 2016. However, Martin Larney, Joy’s cousin and the executor of his will, sued Romanyshyn over the house ‘gift’.
After a week in court, the two parties settled, with Romanyshyn dropping her claim to ownership.
Gifted home disputed by family
Speaking about whether she would vacate the property, Romanyshyn insisted: “No, this was his will.
Why do I need to move out? This was Mr. Joy’s wish.”
Romanyshyn added, “In all the time I knew Mr.
Joy, he did not have any family come and visit him.” She claimed Joy would be “shocked” if he found out his family had come for the house, saying they only showed interest after his death when money was involved. The family had claimed Joy was too mentally frail to understand what he was doing, but Romanyshyn insisted he was sharp enough to follow the complex storylines of TV series “Sherlock” and to play chess with her daughter, to whom he was a “grandfather figure.”
In his order, Judge Simon Monty stated that the parties agreed her claim to the house would be “dismissed” and Joy’s estate divided under the terms of a 2011 will, which left the bulk of his estate to Larney, his 87-year-old mother Doreen, and a former friend. The case has divided those who knew Joy, with some claiming he was very frail in his final days, while others suggested Romanyshyn deserved the house because she looked after him.
Image Credits: Photo by Vanna Phon on Unsplash
