Morris dancer responsible for dead parents’ £2million fortune accused of having ‘hands in the till’

A professional Morris dancer responsible for her dead parents’ £2million fortune has been removed as executor of the estate after she was accused of having her ‘hands in the till’.

Dana Conlin and her brother Eugene were hired to take care of their parents Rosina and Charles’ multi-million dollar estate.

The couple died within a year, leaving their property empire in South Wales in 2013.

But Dana has been accused of using it for her own “personal gain” during a “dysfunctional” court battle over her inheritance.

The family fortune was to be managed by the siblings until their late brother Daniel’s children were old enough to inherit their combined share of 35.7% of the estate.

In all, this is worth at least £2million, London’s High Court heard. But after a family “quarreled” in 2017, the clan fought each other in court.

Dana was accused of spending on the estate’s credit card and placing her son at an estate for free.

She was also accused of wiping £175,000 off the value of her parents’ six-bedroom house, which sits in a two-acre garden and orchard, after scaring off buyers with “smelly rubbish” and “full ashtrays” while she lived there.

The dancer sharply rejected all allegations and, in turn, accused her brother Eugene of mismanaging the property.

Admitting that both had benefited from the estate, Eugene offered to pay it back and demanded that both be removed from administration.

Now both have been removed as executors and trustees by a High Court judge.

Dana was also handed a £90,000 cost bill after the couple were sued by their disgruntled nieces and nephews.

The court heard that Rosina and Charles left mirror wills for their estates, including the Bell House in Magor, Caldicot, which comprised 11 commercial units and was worth an undisclosed seven-figure sum.

They also left behind £1.2million building land and the couple’s White Heather home in Penhow, which later sold for £650,000.

Charles and Rosina had four children, but only Dana and Eugene are still alive.

Daniel’s three children, Shannon Roberts, 27, Kitty Conlin, 25, and Ethan Conlin, 21, are now entitled to inherit just over a third of the estate together.

But Dana and Eugene, who each had a quarter interest left, are the executors and trustees and have still not redeemed the assets of the estate since the dispute.

They were dragged into court last month by their nieces and nephews, who accused them of mismanaging the estate and using it to cover their personal expenses, despite having already been handed £50,000 of their inheritance.

James Poole, for the nieces and nephews, said Judge Master William Hansen said they say both their aunt and uncle spent estate funds.

“Eugene says Dana used the estate credit card for personal purchases, so that’s what he started doing, too,” he said.

“Eugene says Dana’s son lived in one of the apartments at Bell House and didn’t pay rent.”

He also told the judge that although White Heather was marketed at £800,000, it had sold for just £625,000.

Eugene blames his sister Dana, who lived in the house for four years before the sale in 2017, for this “undervalue” and the resulting loss of the property.

In a letter read to the judge, Eugene claimed the property was “a complete mess” during tours with “cars and vans full of ashtrays, smelly garbage and maggots and flies.”

It described the smell as “intolerable” and accused Dana of “abusing the property … deterring buyers and devaluing the property.”

Mr Poole also told the judge that one of the commercial tenants at Bell House “has been trying to pay his rent since 2017 but cannot because the defendants cannot agree where it should be paid”.

“This illustrates the level of dysfunction with which these trusts have been managed…it’s frankly preposterous,” he added.

He said Dana’s side, adding: “Dana says it’s Eugene’s fault. She denies having her hands on the register.

“Her position is that she has done nothing wrong.”

However, Eugene admits to taking money from the estate and offered to relinquish his role as executor and trustee and repay what he took, he said.

“His position is that both defendants benefited from their roles as executors,” he continued.

“He offers to pay it back. Dana’s position is very clear that she doesn’t have to pay a penny.”

The lawyer told the judge that the family dispute, which had to go to court, had incurred “appalling costs”.

But Gareth Thomas, for Dana, told the judge she finds the situation “embarrassing and frustrating”.

He argued that she should be allowed to remain in her positions of responsibility and Eugene removed alone, saying the removal of an executor was a “drastic step to be taken only in a very clear-cut case.”

Dana says she simply lived in the house until it could be sold and denies devaluing it while working.

“She says the house was only ever worth £625,000,” said her solicitor.

The judge added that the nieces and nephews “have numerous grounds for grievance against Eugene and Dana individually.”

He said: “The assets of this estate have not been realized despite the long period of time and they just aren’t able to work together – I’m pretty sure of that.

“It is undeniable that this is a sizeable and complex property with significant assets potentially worth millions of pounds.

“This situation cannot be allowed to continue. I therefore propose that an order be passed removing both the defendants as executors and the trustees.”

He said expenses incurred by the nieces and nephews should be awarded to both defendants, but Eugene would receive compensation as executor so his expenses would be paid by the estate.

But the judge stripped Dana of her compensation, meaning £90,000 will come from her personal share.