The family of a Fife mum who was murdered by her son are trying to raise £40,000 for a legal challenge to remove him as executor of her estate.
Ross Taggart is currently serving a minimum 18-year prison sentence after he was convicted of brutally murdering his mother Carol Anne in December 2014.
Despite being jailed for the killing, after which he hid his mother’s body under a caravan at Pettycur Bay, the 33-year-old was left in charge of his victim’s £500,000 estate.
Carol Anne’s daughter Lorraine Bristow and son-in-law Stephen are now trying to raise funds for a legal challenge, amid fears Taggart is letting the inheritance “dwindle away”.
Mr Bristow, 33, said: “It’s not right. This is nothing about money, it’s about doing the right thing. It’s to get a bit of closure.
“The £40,000 is just to go to court. We sing off his hymn sheet, we send a question to his lawyers and we’ve waited three or four weeks for a response.
“We complained that the garden was overgrown and it got fixed. But who’s paying the gardener? The estate will be. He’s dwindling it away.”
Ross Taggart in control of victim’s estate
Taggart is banned from receiving assets from the estate but has control of decisions over it – including restricting the family’s access to Carol Anne’s house in Dunfermline.
Lorraine previously told of her heartbreak after she was allowed a short one-hour visit to her mum’s home following a near four-year battle to gain access.
The 30-year-old found the formerly pristine house had become infested with bugs and mice, which had chewed a mattress and made nests throughout the property.
Dance teacher Lorraine said she was only allowed to spend time in her mother’s bedroom and had to be accompanied by her brother’s lawyers throughout the October visit.
The family have now also launched a petition in an attempt to persuade the Scottish Government to change the law so that convicted murderers can no longer act as will executors.
The campaign has already gathered more than 18,000 signatures.
To donate to the legal fund, visit www.gofundme.com/remove-a-convicted-murderer-from-being-executor
