Waitress, 38, left £650k home by 82-year-old recluse after he died LOSES battle against his family to keep fortune

A WAITRESS left a £650,000 home by an 82-year-old “recluse” has lost a battle against his family to keep the fortune.

Richard Joy never married or had children and spent most of his time at the library or working on his collection of rare coins and medals.

Two years before his death in May 2018, he gifted his home in Harrow, North West London, to 38-year-old Mariia Romanyshyn.

Richard had met Ukrainian Mariia in 2011 while she worked as a waitress at a local breakfast cafe that he visited three times a week.

The pair formed a close bond, with the OAP inviting Mariia and her her family to live with him as his “adopted family”.

She claimed he “thrust” the deeds of the home into her hands and told her: “The house is yours. I want you to keep the house.”

But Richard's cousin and executor of his estate, Martin Larney, sued the waitress – claiming he was too mentally frail to understand what he was doing.

Both sides agreed to settle the court battle – with Mariia's claim to the house “dismissed” by a judge.

Judge Simon Monty KC ruled Richard's estate would be divided up under the terms of a 2011 will, which leaves the bulk of his estate to Martin, his 87-year-old mum Doreen and a former friend.

Central London County Court heard Richard never had a family of his own and lived his entire life in his parents' home in Harrow.

The history buff drew up the original will in 2011 but signed a document four years later gifting his fortune to Mariia.

Martin's barrister Andrew Nicklin claimed Richard was “vulnerable with apparent cognitive impairment” and “dependant” on Mariia at the time.

But she told the court she treated Richard “as her uncle”, while her daughter viewed him “as a grandfather figure”.

She also argued he was still mentally sharp enough to make major decisions – playing chess with her daughter after gifting the house and following episodes of Sherlock on TV.

Mariia said she first met Richard in 2011 at the cafe and offered to help him with shopping after he had a hospital spell.

As the years went by, she began helping him out on a more regular basis and he “repeatedly encouraged” her and her family to set up house with him, the waitress explained.

Referring to house deeds, Mariia claimed he told her “I have a present for you”, to which she replied: “don't worry, I will look after it very well for you”.

She added: “He received and felt the care, love and affection from me and my family.

“An extremely high degree of trust was there between us.”

Both parties agreed to settle their dispute out-of-court after negotiations behind the scenes.

Judge Monty stated that he had been “satisfied on the evidence heard that the last true will of Richard Anthony Joy was the will dated 26 November, 2011.”