My mother, brother, sister and I were devastated when my father was killed
in a car accident nearly a year ago. His name was Duncan Sorrill and he
lived in La Redondella, Huelva, Spain. We tried to find English speaking
people when we went over in March 2007, but could find nobody to help us at
all.
Dad’s body was unclaimed for 10 days as nobody responded to our emails about him
being missing, not even the British Consulate in Madrid. Eventually police
came to our door. The British consulate in Malaga had found us, well we had to phone them first, but ...that’s another story
as my address was in Dad’s wallet, so we were devastated not to be found
while he lay unclaimed and we all worried ourselves silly! But it has been a
catalogue of disasters and I am digressing…
A solicitor had recently been employed by Dad, as the man
next door to his small casita had knocked his house down, causing
considerable damp and damage to his property. He was taking this neighbour
to court. The neighbour had threatened Dad as work had been called to a halt while it was investigated. All records should still be with the Town Hall.
When we went to Spain the same solicitor was very helpful and kind. He was charming. He took us everywhere and even helped
arrange the funeral. He kept wanting us to sign over power of attorney but
luckily my brother was too cautious, as it included text saying that he
could sell any of Dad’s property at any price he wished! If we had signed
that…well I can’t bear to think…
When we got home it all changed.
The first sign of him being dodgy came when he tried to sell Dad’s yacht,
which he lovingly restored and sailed to Spain, a British built Kingfisher
30, to his brother (or so he said) for 3000 euros. It is worth four times
that. It’s even had a book written about it…but I’m digressing again. We
asked him to send back the ship documents so we could get a broker to sell
it….he didn’t for weeks, simply going on about how his brother wanted it.
He refused to pass on the keys to Boatshedcadiz.
Eventually he agreed to meet the broker, Michelle and her partner and hand
over the keys. They travelled many miles and stayed in a hotel, only to not
be met by him, having refused to answer the phone. When they eventually did
get hold of him he was very abusive to Michelle, from Boatshedcadiz and her
Spanish partner, as he was upset that she had told us. We were left with
Michelle’s bill, which we asked the solicitor to pay, only to have him say he was
stopping all contact with us and would be taking us to court. He wanted 1000 euros to give us
the keys!
After a few months we wanted to sack him and get another solicitor. He was informed.
He refused to be sacked, jumping up and down and shouting a lot at my
mother, telling her to sack our new firm, which we had already taken on. We
refused and asked him to send everything to the new firm.
He sent some things. He kept the keys to my father’s house and yacht.
Our new solicitors have taken months to get the keys from him…but in the
end we were forced into paying the 1000 euros. He wanted that paid into an
account before he met our representative, but this we refused and he finally
met her, arriving in a hire car and being very unpleasant to Laura, someone
Decotta Law firm had recommended.
On Friday it became clear why he did not send any of Dad’s stuff and why the
house keys were not handed over. Laura, the lady who went to clear Dad’s house
arrived to find it had been robbed and smashed up with no regard for
his personal things or even clothes and to meet a delegation of neighbours
who all said what a bad man our previous solicitor was. They said they had contacted him
many times and the local police man said the same. He said he would
inform us and the Guarda Civil. He did not inform either. It all happened
10 months ago and he had done nothing to inform us, even though he was still
under our employ at that time.
Someone has also knocked down the property to the left of Dad’s house, leaving it precariously in the middle. There are large cracks in the walls and mushrooms with the damp. All the windows are smashed.
So now the house is supposed to be worth 60 thousand euros, previously being valued at 120. But it does seem that the land is under development. Lots of neighbours, including the horrible neighbour have offered us much less than 60, about four offers in all and it is making me very suspicious. Is the area due to be developed. Are they hoping to sell it on at a profit?
Today a neighbour of Dad’s from across the street, phoned our solicitors to inform us that the neighbour, who the whole village is terrified of (with friends in high places I think) has knocked through Dad’s outer wall, on purpose…being heard to say, ‘Now let’s see who wants to buy it). You see we had turned down his offer of 28 thousand!!
Please…help restore our faith in Spain and people. Do you know anyone who can help us? Can you help us? Can we do anything from here legally? We have been told by the police that we need to go in person and file a complaint. We have a firm of solicitors, recommended by the consulate, as we had been burnt once…but they are 6 hours away. We know nobody who can speak English in the area.
I have left out names so that I am not banned, like I was from another site….so I hope this one passes scrutiny. I need help…please.
Liz
