A family inheritance dispute in the UK has ended with a High Court ruling against a man who claimed he had secretly married his dying partner in Cyprus and was entitled to her fortune of more than £500,000, as reported by The Independent. Cengiz Arif produced a marriage certificate and a later will that supposedly left him the entire estate of Kassy Sinar, who died of breast cancer aged 46. However, her family challenged both documents, prompting an investigation into their authenticity. The judge ultimately found that the marriage certificate and the 2023 will were forged, upholding Sinar's earlier will that secured the inheritance for her teenage daughter.
Mother's death leaves £500,000 estate for teenage daughter amid family dispute
Kassy Sinar, who ran a cleaning business, died in October 2023 after being diagnosed with breast cancer. She was 46. Her daughter, Jocey, was 14 when she lost her mother. Sinar had made arrangements for her daughter's future in a will drawn up in 2022, leaving her estate in a trust for Jocey's benefit. Sinar owned a home in Kimberley Gardens, Finsbury Park, London, where she had settled after moving from Manchester. She also had a property on Thurston Street in Burnley, reportedly worth around £58,000. The estate was believed to be worth more than £500,000, though its exact value was not established during the legal proceedings. Her relationship with Jocey's father, Cengiz Arif, had not always been straightforward. They were together for several years but separated at different points between 2011 and 2018 before getting back together. Evidence heard in court included accounts of Sinar telling people close to her that she had rejected a marriage proposal from Arif. Some friends also described their relationship as toxic and abusive, alleging that she had faced physical and emotional mistreatment. They later reconciled, but the relationship between Arif and Sinar's relatives became a source of dispute following her death. What followed was a legal disagreement over her estate and the arrangements she had made for her daughter.
Boyfriend claims they had married in Cyprus years earlier
Following Sinar's death, Arif said that he had actually been her husband for years. He produced a marriage certificate claiming that the couple had married in Cyprus on September 19, 2006. According to his account, the ceremony had taken place without her close relatives or friends being informed. The claim raised questions within Sinar's family, particularly because nobody in her immediate circle appeared to have known about the alleged wedding. Her brother, Ernest Sinar, began investigating the document and contacted Turkish authorities to establish whether the marriage had been registered as claimed. Questions were also raised about the marriage certificate Arif had produced. Authorities reportedly confirmed that no marriage had been registered on the date mentioned in the document. The registrar named on the certificate was not working at the time either. The information shared with the family further suggested that the marriage had no legal standing. The tensions had affected the family long before the inheritance case reached its conclusion. Sinar's relatives were banned by Arif from attending her funeral in London, so they organised a separate memorial service. In the months that followed, her brother Ernest and his wife Michelle took Jocey into their care and became her legal guardians.
Man challenges daughter's inheritance with a second will dated May 2023
The inheritance dispute took a different turn when Arif brought forward another document. Dated May 10, 2023, the will was presented as Sinar's final wishes. It differed sharply from the 2022 version, which had placed her estate in a trust for Jocey. Under the newer document, Arif stood to receive the entire estate instead. This included Sinar's two properties and the income they generated. Arif had also started collecting rent from the Finsbury Park house. More than £35,000 in rental payments was reportedly held in a bank account under his control. He disputed the earlier will, too. His argument centred on changes Sinar had made to the document after it was first prepared and signed. He questioned whether those amendments affected its validity. Sinar's brother Ernest challenged Arif's claims. He maintained that his sister had wanted Jocey to benefit from her estate and questioned the circumstances in which the later will had supposedly been drawn up. The family disagreement eventually reached court. At the heart of the case was a question that would determine who inherited Sinar's estate: which of the two wills, if either, reflected her actual wishes?
Handwriting evidence raises questions about the 2023 will
Chief Master Karen Shuman had to examine both wills and the circumstances in which they were drawn up. Arif did not appear at the hearing to defend his position. The court ultimately accepted the 2022 will. According to Rothley Law, Sinar had appointed four executors in her 2022 will, including Ernest and Arif. In early October 2023, she amended the will to remove Arif as an executor. There were also questions over the signature on the later document. A handwriting expert who examined it identified features suggesting an attempt had been made to copy Sinar's handwriting. The judge weighed this against Arif's explanation of how May 2023 would have come about. In her ruling, Chief Master Shuman found that the May 2023 will was forged. The marriage certificate Arif had produced was also found to be false. That meant his claim to have been Sinar's husband was rejected, along with his attempt to inherit under the disputed document.
Judge removes boyfriend from control of the estate
The ruling restored the arrangements made under Sinar's 2022 will, leaving her estate in trust for Jocey. Arif was removed from his positions as executor and trustee, ending his authority over the assets. The judge was also concerned about the money already collected from the London property's rental income and the possibility that estate assets could be moved or spent. She issued an injunction preventing Arif from dealing with or disposing of the properties and funds. His bank was ordered to disclose information about the rental payments to Ernest's legal representatives. The restrictions were intended to protect the estate while its financial position was established. Chief Master Shuman expressed concern about the use of what she found to be forged documents in support of Arif's inheritance claim, as well as his failure to comply with court orders. She considered restrictions on his access to the estate necessary to prevent further difficulties in recovering its assets.
£206,000 legal costs ordered against Arif
The court proceedings also resulted in a substantial financial order against Arif. He was directed to pay the legal costs incurred by Ernest in bringing the challenge, which were estimated at approximately £206,000. An immediate payment of £120,000 was ordered towards those costs, with the remaining amount forming part of the wider costs order.
Following the judgment, Verity Hudson of Rothley Law, the firm representing Ernest, described the proceedings as a complex and emotionally difficult matter. She said the legal team had worked closely with the family since 2023 and welcomed the outcome.
