My dying dad’s young lover was a manipulative liar who forged his will to leave us with nothing – she ruined our lives
AS CAROL Hendry stands by her beloved father’s grave, she cannot bear to look at his headstone.
For engraved in gold, for all to see, is the name of the woman who forged his will after his death and tried to tear his family apart.
Scheming fraudster Kerry Burns attempted to cheat her dead boyfriend’s family, including his daughter, Carol, out of his inheritance.
Burns, 35, was convicted of trying to pass off a fraudulent will, which she said was made and signed by her late partner, William Hendry, 64.
The fake document cut out his his children and grandchildren and left everything to Kerry.
But a court found that the will, which she had sent on WhatsApp to his children, Scott and Carol, contained fake signatures claiming to be from William, his solicitor and his doctor.
Mum of one Carol, 48, says her family has been devastated by Burns’ lies, following her father’s death on August 4, 2022.
Not only did Burns try to pocket £5,000 life insurance money, she cruelly excluded his family from the funeral and cleared out his home leaving them with nothing to remember him by.
In October last year, she was fined £400 by Kilmarnock Sheriff Court after earlier being found guilty.
Carol says: “She is a manipulative liar.
“She has put us through two years of hell. She cleared out Dad’s house, so we have no keepsakes.
“She has her name on the gravestone which really upsets me every time I visit. I cannot bear to even look at it.
“I am glad she has been convicted and publicly shamed, but the sentence is a joke. I feel heartbroken by it all.”
Carol and her brother Scott were close to their father, growing up in Johnstone, Scotland.
She says: “Dad loved the outdoors, he took us fishing and camping. He was a big football fan and a Celtic supporter.
“My parents later divorced and I lived with Mum, but we kept in touch, and everything was friendly between them.
“I had a little boy, Dylan, and Dad adored him, always taking him out fishing with his other two grandsons.”
But in 2012, William met Kerry Burns, who was 29 years younger than him.
Carol says: “He kept it secret for a while, he knew we’d be upset. I was horrified by the age-gap.
“She was 13 years younger than me, and I didn’t think it was right. Dad seemed to be having a mid-life crisis.”
Carol claims that Burns’ would avoid her and caused friction between herself and her dad.
“I argued with Dad about her,” she says.
“But he had COPD, he wasn’t well, so I didn’t want us to be on bad terms. I’d always thought the world of him.”
In July 2022, William suffered a heart attack and was taken into hospital.
He died a week later, aged 64, from complications with COPD.
I knew in my heart that Dad would never have agreed to it
Carol Hendry
“A couple of days after his death, she messaged to say his funeral was all booked, I had to call the undertaker to postpone because Dad had family who lived in England who needed more notice,” Carol says
“She booked it in a Catholic church, even though Dad wasn’t Catholic.
“The eulogy didn’t even mention his children or his grandchildren. We were excluded completely.
“I didn’t want to cause a fuss, but it was heartbreaking.”
The following week, the family had arranged to meet at William’s home to pack up his belongings. But Kerry cancelled the meeting.
Carol says: “Dad adored his three grandsons and they wanted something to remember him by.
“But Kerry cancelled the meeting and the next day, she sent us Dad’s will by Whatsapp.”
The will left everything to Kerry, and nothing to Carol, Scott or their children. It was signed by a lawyer and a GP.
Carol says: “Even for Kerry, this seemed outrageous.
“But I knew in my heart that Dad would never have agreed to it.
“We contacted the lawyer and the doctor and they both confirmed they hadn’t signed the will.”
The family went to the police and Carol went through a costly legal process to have herself made executor of her father’s estate.
Celebs who died without making a will or failed to update it
Executors for Princess Diana decided to give her god children small mementos, rather than the more generous gifts detailed in a “letter of wishes”. This was attached to her will, but was not legally binding
Barry White left children, wives and girlfriends fighting over his fortune when he died in 2003 at the age of 58
Bob Marley died aged 36 without leaving a will so his six children, “baby mothers” and wife Rita were left squabbling over his multi-million pound fortune
Stieg Larsson, the author of The Girl who Played with Fire, died without leaving a will, so his estate was inherited by his father, rather than his partner
Jill Dando’s dad also inherited £607,000 after she was murdered aged 37 outside her home in Fulham, south west London
She says: “By now, Dad’s house had been completely cleared out and his bank account was empty.
“Kerry used his £5000 insurance policy for the funeral and for a head stone which said: ‘Beloved fiancé of Kerry Burns.’
“I felt sick when I saw it. I didn’t even know they were engaged – nobody did.”
Last September, Kilmarnock Sheriff Court heard that Burns, from Johnstone, had been in a relationship for 10 years with William, who was 29-years her senior.
I feel heartbroken, let down by Kerry Burns, and again by the justice system
Carol Hendry
Burns denied knowing the will was a fraud. But both Carol and Scott told the court the signature was not their dad’s.
But Burns refuted this and said the signature was his and claimed she had never even seen the forged will before.
Instead, she insisted it had been in William’s home for many years because she had seen him “stick it in a cupboard with his other paperwork” at some point prior to 2020.
However when she was questioned by Fiscal Depute Alistair Miller she could not explain why the three false signatures on the fake will were all dated on the same day in 2021, if it had been lying in a cupboard for years.
The court found Burns guilty, and Sheriff Colin Bissett labelled her version of events “untenable”.
The following month, she was fined just £400 with a £20 victim surcharge.
Carol says: “She came to court wearing my Dad’s chain and his rings which really upset me.
“She is so cruel. I have nothing to remember him by.
“I was appalled by the outcome. I really thought she ought to have gone to jail. This isn’t about money, it’s about my Dad being laid to rest with dignity and respect.
“We can’t even grieve for him because we were waiting for the court case and now there is a row over the rights to the grave.
“I feel heartbroken, let down by Kerry Burns, and again by the justice system.
“But we have precious memories of Dad and no matter what she tries to steal, she will never take those away.”