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As an only child, Jill Langley had every reason to believe she would inherit her elderly, widowed father’s £1mn fortune. But she had to go to court to secure even a slice of his money in a case involving a carer, a new marriage and a fresh will.
作爲獨生女，吉爾•蘭利(Jill Langley)完全有理由相信她會繼承年邁喪偶父親的100萬英鎊遺產。然而，她不得不訴諸法庭，在一個涉及護理人員、新婚姻和新遺囑的案件中，才能爭取到父親遺產的一部分。
Robert Harrington, from Norfolk, died in May 2020, aged 94, having married his carer, Guixiang Qin, a woman 39 years his junior, the year before. According to court documents, in a will made two months before his death, Harrington left everything to Qin and nothing to Langley, the beneficiary of the previous will.
來自諾福克的羅伯特•哈靈頓(Robert Harrington)於2020年5月去世，享年94歲。前一年，他與比自己小39歲的護理員秦桂香(Guixiang Qin)結婚。根據法庭檔案，在去世前兩個月立下的遺囑中，哈靈頓將所有財產留給了秦桂香，而沒有留給前一份遺囑的受益人蘭利。
Langley challenged the new will and, in June 2024, a judge found in her favour, ruling that Qin had exerted “undue influence” over a “vulnerable elderly man” who had lacked the capacity to make a will.
蘭利對新遺囑提出了質疑，並在2024年6月，一名法官裁定支援她的主張，認爲秦桂香對一位「缺乏立遺囑能力的脆弱老人」施加了「不當影響」。
The law is outdated. It’s making a mockery out of marriage, morals and decency’
這項法律已經過時，正在嘲弄婚姻、道德和體面。
But Qin still benefited from the arrangement. As the court had set aside the will, Harrington in effect died without one, so his assets were divided through a formula for no-will deaths, called intestacy, under which an estate is split between a spouse and children, with the spouse getting the largest share. Qin told the FT through her lawyer that her marriage, which was “nothing but loving and real”, had not been challenged in court. She said she was appealing against the judgment on the will.
但秦桂香仍然從這一安排中受益。由於法院撤銷了遺囑，哈靈頓實際上是在沒有遺囑的情況下去世的，因此他的資產根據無遺囑死亡的分配公式進行分配，稱爲法定繼承，其中遺產在配偶和子女之間分配，配偶獲得最大份額。秦桂香透過她的律師告訴英國《金融時報》，她的婚姻「充滿愛和真實」，並未在法庭上受到質疑。她表示，她正在對遺囑的判決提出上訴。
Langley, now 71, said: “The law is outdated. It’s making a mockery out of marriage, morals and decency.”
現年71歲的蘭利說：「這項法律已經過時了。它讓婚姻、道德和體面變得可笑。」
The arguments highlight the mental capacity rules for marriage and for wills. An elderly person suffering from serious dementia cannot normally write a valid will.
這些論點強調了婚姻和遺囑的精神能力規則。患有嚴重癡呆症的老年人通常無法立下有效的遺囑。
But, if they are single or widowed, they can often get married, as the mental capacity legally required for marriage is much lower.
但是，如果他們是單身或喪偶，他們通常可以結婚，因爲法律上對結婚所需的心智慧力要求較低。
And fair enough, you might think. Who is to judge what’s going on in another person’s heart, even when they’re 90? It’s never too late to find happiness, people say, or to discover it anew.
你可能會覺得這很合理。誰能評判別人的內心世界，即使他們已經90歲了？人們常說，找到幸福或重新發現幸福永遠不嫌晚。
But there is a big financial complication. A marriage or civil partnership immediately revokes almost any previous will. Without need of a new will, marriage creates a fresh financial settlement — one which normally leaves a lot, if not everything, to the new spouse.
但存在一個重大的財務問題。結婚或民事伴侶關係會立即廢除幾乎所有先前的遺囑。在沒有新遺囑的情況下，婚姻會自動產生一個新的財務安排——通常會將大部分財產，甚至可能是全部財產，留給新配偶。
That in turn generates incentives for vulnerable people to come under undue influence to enter into what has come to be called “predatory marriage”. The heirs of well-off old folk have worried about this risk for years. So have lawyers acting for wealthy families.
這反過來又促使脆弱的人羣受到不當影響，進入所謂的「掠奪性婚姻」。富裕老人的繼承人多年來一直擔心這種風險。爲富裕家庭代理的律師也是如此。
But the fears have mushroomed since the pandemic, which saw a jump in life-threatening illnesses and deaths — and in will-writing, sometimes carried out in difficult if not chaotic conditions.
但自疫情以來，這種擔憂迅速增加，因爲疫情導致危及生命的疾病和死亡人數激增，同時遺囑的撰寫也有所增加，有時是在困難甚至混亂的情況下進行的。
“Covid placed a huge obstacle to ensuring that a testator had capacity and was not being influenced to make a will,” says Sally Ashford, a partner at solicitors Charles Russell Speechlys. “It is likely that we will see many more claims against wills which were made during the [pandemic] period.”
「新冠疫情對確保立遺囑人具有能力且未受到影響而立遺囑構成了巨大障礙，」查爾斯•羅素•斯皮奇利律師事務所(Charles Russell Speechlys)的合夥人莎莉•阿什福德(Sally Ashford)說，「我們很可能會看到更多針對疫情期間所立遺囑的索賠。」
Not before time, the government is considering reforming the law in England and Wales (Scottish law is different). The Law Commission, a statutory advisory body, is preparing proposals that it expects to publish early this year in which it will call for either scrapping the automatic revocation of a will by marriage, or for maintaining the status quo.
政府終於開始考慮改革英格蘭和威爾士的法律。法律委員會(The Law Commission)作爲一個法定諮詢機構，正在準備提案，預計將在今年初發布。提案將呼籲廢除婚姻自動撤銷遺囑的規定，或維持現狀。
If the commission goes for change — as many lawyers expect — the government would have to agree and find time for legislation. Moreover, any reform would most likely not be retrospective: disputes stemming from the Covid years would still be handled under existing laws. Fabian Hamilton, a Labour MP campaigning for reform, says there is widespread concern in parliament over predatory marriage. “Many colleagues have reported cases. It’s cross party.”
如果委員會決定進行改革——正如許多律師所預期的那樣——政府將需要同意併爲立法騰出時間。此外，任何改革很可能不會具有追溯效力：源於新冠疫情期間的糾紛仍將根據現行法律處理。工黨議員法比安•漢密爾頓(Fabian Hamilton)正在爲改革進行宣傳，他表示，議會對掠奪性婚姻存在廣泛關注。「許多同事都報告了相關案例。這是跨黨派的。」
Concerns about vulnerable people falling prey to exploitative relationships have been growing for years. Extended life expectancy has boosted the numbers surviving into old age with illnesses impairing mental capacity. According to the Alzheimer’s Society, nearly 1mn Britons suffer from dementia, including one in 11 of the over-65s.
多年來，人們對弱勢羣體容易陷入剝削性關係的擔憂不斷增加。延長的預期壽命使得更多人帶著影響精神能力的疾病活到老年。根據阿爾茨海默氏症協會(Alzheimer』s Society)的數據，近100萬英國人患有癡呆症，其中包括每11位65歲以上老人中的一位。
This generation of elderly is the richest ever, leaving plenty for potential heirs to dispute. Meanwhile, families are becoming more fluid as people change jobs, homes and partners more frequently, leaving older relatives more likely to be living without close family contact.
這一代老年人是有史以來最富有的一代，留下了大量遺產供潛在繼承人爭奪。同時，隨著人們更頻繁地更換工作、住所和伴侶，家庭關係變得更加鬆散，老年親屬更有可能在沒有親密家庭聯繫的情況下生活。
It’s important to emphasise that most carers do a difficult job well. Age UK, the charity, notes they offer not just practical assistance but also emotional support, sometimes filling a void left by family members who may lack time or resources for frequent visits.
重要的是要強調，大多數護理人員都能出色地完成艱難的工作。慈善機構Age英國指出，他們不僅提供實際幫助，還提供情感支援，有時填補了家人因缺乏時間或資源而無法頻繁探訪所留下的空白。
Closeness matters to humans, including in old age. And sometimes closeness — with a carer, for example, or a new friend — leads to romance. As Age UK says on its website: “Whether you’re separated, bereaved or have been single for some time, it’s never too late to start a new relationship.”
親密對人類很重要，即使在老年也是如此。有時，親密關係——例如與護理人員或新朋友的關係——會發展成浪漫關係。正如Age英國在其網站上所說：「無論您是分居、喪偶還是單身已久，開始一段新關係永遠不會太晚。」
Marriages among those aged 65 and over rose 46 per cent in the decade to 2014 to 11,000 — according to the latest ONS data — far more than the 20 per cent increase in the overall 65-and-over population. The percentage of predatory marriages is likely to be very small. So family lawyers warn that any legal reforms should not over-interfere with a person’s right to wed.
根據最新的英國國家統計局(ONS)數據，在截至2014年的十年間，65歲及以上人羣的結婚人數增加了46%，達到11,000人，遠遠超過65歲及以上人口整體成長的20%。掠奪性婚姻的比例可能非常小。因此，家庭律師警告說，任何法律改革都不應過度干涉個人的結婚權利。
The competence threshold for marriage is low so that, for example, young people with mental disabilities can tie the knot. The 2005 Mental Capacity Act says the person involved must understand what they are doing in getting married. Questions about a partner’s suitability are irrelevant — whatever relatives may think.
結婚的能力門檻較低，因此，有精神殘疾的年輕人也可以結婚。2005年《心智慧力法》(Mental Capacity Act)規定，結婚當事人必須理解他們在做什麼。關於伴侶是否合適的問題是無關緊要的——無論親屬怎麼想。
Covid placed a huge obstacle to ensuring a testator had capacity and was not being influenced to make a will
新冠疫情爲確保立遺囑人具有能力且未受影響地立遺囑設置了巨大障礙
For wills, the competence test is tougher — so a person could get married without even understanding that they have a will. The test dates back to an 1870 case where the judge ruled that for a will to be valid the testator should understand the effect of making a will, the extent of their property and the claims of potential beneficiaries.
對於遺囑，能力測試更爲嚴格——因此，一個人可能在結婚時甚至不知道自己立有遺囑。該測試可以追溯到1870年的一個案例，當時法官裁定，爲了使遺囑有效，立遺囑人應理解立遺囑的影響、其財產的範圍以及潛在受益人的權利。
All well and good. But the rule was set down when the line between capacity and incapacity seemed clearer then than today, when more people are living long enough to suffer dementia. “Living in the twilight zone makes people vulnerable,” says Henrietta Mason, a senior counsel at solicitors Farrer & Co.
一切都很好。但是，這項規則是在能力與無能之間的界限比今天更清晰的時候制定的，而現在有更多的人活得足夠長以至於患上癡呆症。Farrer & Co.律師事務所的高級法律顧問亨麗埃塔•梅森(Henrietta Mason)說：「生活在模糊地帶使人們變得脆弱。」
In 1975, Lord Templeman, a future appeal judge, declared in court “one golden rule” for aged or sick testators — that a doctor should always be present at the will’s making.
1975年，未來的上訴法官坦普爾曼勳爵在法庭上宣佈了一條針對年老或患病立遺囑人的「黃金法則」——立遺囑時醫生應始終在場。
His (non-binding) rule is honoured more in the breach than the observance. Even Templeman himself made a will without a doctor at the age of 88. In an inheritance dispute following his 2014 death, the court ruled that the distinguished law lord had had the necessary capacity.
他的規則在違反時比遵守時更受尊重。就連坦普爾曼自己也在88歲時在沒有醫生的情況下立下了遺囑。在他2014年去世後的一場遺產糾紛中，法院裁定這位傑出的法律大法官具備必要的能力。
Parliament has been sufficiently concerned about fraudsters to criminalise predatory marriage in a 2014 law on forced marriage (involving coercion) — making it illegal to ensnare into marriage someone lacking mental capacity, even without coercion.
議會對欺詐者的關注已達到足以在2014年的強迫婚姻法中將掠奪性婚姻定爲犯罪的程度（涉及脅迫）——即使沒有脅迫，也禁止將缺乏精神能力的人誘騙至婚姻中。
But, sufficient evidence is rarely available since wedding procedure rules — despite a recent overhaul — do not oblige those officiating, usually registrars or priests, to assess capacity rigorously. They are not trained to do so. There is also no requirement for verbatim records.
然而，由於婚禮程式規則——儘管最近進行了改革——並不要求主持婚禮的人（通常是登記員或牧師）嚴格評估當事人的能力，因此很少有足夠的證據。他們沒有接受過相關培訓。此外，也沒有逐字記錄的要求。
Under the 1973 Matrimonial Causes Act, a marriage is void — treated as if it never existed — in rare circumstances, such as bigamy. A previous will is then not revoked — as there never was a valid marriage.
根據1973年《婚姻訴訟法》，在極少數情況下，例如重婚，婚姻被視爲無效——就好像它從未存在過一樣。在這種情況下，之前的遺囑不會被撤銷——因爲從未有過有效的婚姻。
However, in cases when a person is found in court to have lacked the capacity to marry, the marriage is not called void but voidable. It is cancelled only from the moment a judge rules it so, without retrospective effect. Crucially, a will revoked by the now-voided marriage, remains revoked.
然而，當法院認定某人缺乏結婚能力時，婚姻被稱爲可撤銷而非無效。婚姻僅從法官裁定之時起被取消，沒有追溯效力。關鍵是，因婚姻被撤銷而被撤銷的遺囑仍然保持撤銷狀態。
In theory, anyone concerned about a forthcoming marriage on capacity grounds can submit a caveat to the registrar — a letter explaining the circumstances, preferably with a doctor’s note. But this little-known rule is barely used: it was taken up just six times in 2023.
理論上，任何對即將到來的婚姻在能力方面有疑慮的人都可以向登記官提交告誡書——一封解釋情況的信件，最好附上醫生的證明。但這一鮮爲人知的規定幾乎沒有被使用：在2023年僅被採用了六次。
There is also an official helpline. The Home Office says: “If individuals have concerns that one or both parties do not or cannot consent to the marriage, they should call the Forced Marriage Unit helpline.”
還有一個官方求助熱線。內政部(Home Office)表示：「如果有人擔心一方或雙方不願或無法同意結婚，他們應撥打強迫婚姻小組(Forced Marriage Unit)的求助熱線。」
But predatory marriages often take place without the couple informing the family. Rules require forthcoming marriage announcements to be published, but normally only on paper via register office or church notice boards, which family members may never see. There is no searchable electronic database.
但掠奪性婚姻往往在夫妻未告知家人的情況下發生。規定要求即將舉行的婚姻公告必須發佈，但通常僅以紙質形式在登記處或教堂的公告板上發佈，家人可能從未見過。沒有可搜尋的電子資料庫。
Those who don’t know about a marriage obviously cannot challenge it. Worse, for anxious heirs, the law allows challenges to a marriage on capacity grounds to be made only before the vulnerable person dies.
顯然，那些不瞭解婚姻情況的人無法對其提出質疑。更糟糕的是，對於焦慮的繼承人來說，法律規定只能在脆弱者去世之前，以能力爲由對婚姻提出質疑。
Before Covid, lawyers were split over scrapping the revocation rule. When the Law Commission surveyed professional opinion in 2017 it found that 60 per cent favoured the status quo. These experts said the current law gave due weight to the importance of marriage and that people generally wanted “their new spouse to inherit the majority or the entirety of their estate”.
在新冠疫情之前，律師們對廢除撤銷規則意見不一。法律委員會(Law Commission)在2017年調查專業意見時發現，60%的人傾向於維持現狀。這些專家表示，現行法律對婚姻的重要性給予了應有的重視，人們普遍希望「他們的新配偶繼承其大部分或全部遺產」。
Lawyers say the current law often works well in the case of working-age people entering a new relationship after a previous marriage — a much more common happening than old-age unions. It helps people to move on with their new spouses if the new marriage revokes a previous will.
律師表示，現行法律在適齡人羣在結束前一段婚姻後進入新關係的情況下通常運作良好——這種情況比老年人結婚更爲常見。如果新婚姻撤銷了之前的遺囑，這有助於人們與新配偶繼續生活。
The main losers are the children of the first marriage who, under current law, lose their rights under the old will. (The ex-spouse is normally already cut out of the old will through the divorce settlement itself).
主要的受損者是第一次婚姻的子女，根據現行法律，他們在舊遺囑中的權利會喪失。（前配偶通常已經透過離婚協議本身從舊遺囑中被除名）。
If the law now changes, those first-marriage children would retain their rights under the old will — to the possible disadvantage of the new partner and any new children. But solicitors opposed to changing the revocation rule argue it is often the new family — frequently with younger children — that needs financial protection.
如果法律現在發生變化，那麼第一段婚姻的子女將根據舊遺囑保留他們的權利——這可能會對新伴侶和任何新生子女不利。但反對更改撤銷規則的律師認爲，通常是新家庭——尤其是有年幼子女的家庭——更需要財務保護。
The answer, lawyers say, is to write a will — a new one — if you remarry. You can, for example, pass your assets to your new partner for their lifetime and assign a share to your previous-marriage children that goes to them after the new partner’s death (if they die after you).
律師表示，答案是如果你再婚，就需要立一份新的遺囑。例如，你可以在新伴侶的有生之年將資產傳給他們，並在新伴侶去世後將一部分資產分配給你前一段婚姻的子女。
Fortunately, the law offers some comfort to those finding themselves on the wrong side of a testamentary settlement — under a 1975 law dependants can secure a limited amount for their financial needs.
幸運的是，法律爲那些在遺囑和解中處於不利地位的人提供了一些安慰——根據1975年的一項法律，受撫養人可以獲得有限的金額來滿足其經濟需求。
How should you protect a vulnerable old person? A checklist:
Keep in touch with your old folk, even when they are in a comfortable care home. Loneliness can drive people to what others see as strange decisions.
Ensure that the power of attorney, which gives control of a vulnerable person’s affairs, is valid. But remember it doesn’t confer rights over marriage, not even a right to be informed.
Ensure the elderly person makes a will. If it’s too late, check the intestacy rules. If these do not address your situation, consider a statutory will, made in court — though this can be expensive.
If you hear the old person might be planning marriage, you can send the local registrar a letter to object. If the registrar accepts this caveat it will be circulated to other register offices. But, crucially, not to religious venues.
If you want a marriage voided on mental capacity grounds, move quickly as you normally won’t have a case if the person dies.
如何保護體弱的老人？以下是一個清單：
即使你的長輩住在舒適的養老院，也要保持聯繫。孤獨可能會讓人做出在他人看來奇怪的決定。
確保賦予對弱勢人士事務控制權的授權書是有效的。但請記住，它並不授予婚姻方面的權利，甚至沒有知情權。
確保老人立下遺囑。如果爲時已晚，請檢視無遺囑繼承規則。如果這些規則無法解決您的情況，可以考慮在法院申請法定遺囑——儘管這可能會很昂貴。
如果你聽說那位老人可能正在計劃結婚，你可以向當地登記官發送一封信表示反對。如果登記官接受了這個異議，它將被傳達到其他登記處。但關鍵是，不會傳達到宗教場所。
如果你想以精神能力爲由使婚姻無效，請儘快行動，因爲通常情況下，如果當事人去世，你將無法提出訴訟。
Lawyers say that since the pandemic, support for scrapping the automatic marriage-will link has grown following a surge in challenges to Covid era wills. “Opinion has shifted,” says Andrew Bishop, a partner at solicitors Rothley Law. The Law Commission says it is acting in response to “increasing concerns about what are often called ‘predatory marriages’”.
律師們表示，自新冠疫情以來，隨著對疫情期間遺囑的挑戰激增，支援取消婚姻與遺囑自動關聯的呼聲越來越高。Rothley法律師事務所的合夥人安德魯•畢曉普(Andrew Bishop)說：「輿論已經發生了變化。」法律委員會表示，他們正在回應對所謂「掠奪性婚姻」的日益關注。
But even with reform, the law will struggle in cases where evidence is ambiguous and recollections differ, as Daphne Franks knows well.
但即使進行改革，在證據模糊和記憶不一致的情況下，法律仍會很難處理，正如達芙妮•弗蘭克斯(Daphne Franks)深知的那樣。
Franks’s widowed mother Joan Blass was befriended in 2011 at the age of 87 by Colman Folan, a man 24 years her junior. According to court documents, Folan won Blass’s confidence, moved into her house and became her carer, as she developed serious dementia.
弗蘭克斯的寡母瓊•布拉斯(Joan Blass)在2011年87歲時與比她小24歲的科爾曼•福蘭(Colman Folan)成爲朋友。根據法庭檔案，福蘭贏得了布拉斯的信任，搬進了她的房子，並在她患上嚴重癡呆症後成爲她的看護人。
Franks, who lived with her husband next door to her mother and held a power of attorney, says she found herself frozen out of Blass’s life. It was only after Blass died in 2016, aged 91, that Franks learnt that Folan and Blass had married the previous October.
弗蘭克斯與丈夫住在母親隔壁，並持有授權書。她說自己發現被排除在布拉斯的生活之外。直到2016年布拉斯去世，享年91歲，弗蘭克斯才得知福蘭和布拉斯在前一年的10月結婚了。
Blass’s will was revoked and she died intestate. Franks and her brother lost not only a £200,000 inheritance but also control over funeral arrangements. “It was so distressing,” says Franks. She believes her mother “would have had no idea she was married”.
布拉斯的遺囑被撤銷，她在沒有遺囑的情況下去世。弗蘭克斯和她的兄弟不僅失去了20萬英鎊的遺產，還失去了對葬禮安排的控制權。弗蘭克斯說：「這太令人痛苦了。」 她認爲她的母親「根本不知道自己結了婚」。
Franks and her brother took Folan to court over the funeral question. The judge rejected suggestions that Folan had acted with fraudulent intent, aiming to secure the estate. He found in Folan’s favour, commenting on his “deep affection” for Blass. However, he did say that it was “at the very least doubtful” that Blass had had the capacity to marry.
弗蘭克斯和她的兄弟就葬禮問題將福蘭告上法庭。法官駁回了福蘭有意騙取遺產的指控，判決對福蘭有利，並評論他對布拉斯的「深厚感情」。然而，法官也表示，布拉斯是否有能力結婚「至少是值得懷疑的」。
Folan was contacted for comment.
已聯繫福蘭徵求意見。
Franks was shaken by the defeat. But determined to raise public awareness about the potential repercussions of later-life marriage, she has launched a grassroots national campaign. She says: “Many people simply don’t know what goes on.”
弗蘭克斯因失敗而感到震驚。但她決心提高公衆對晚年婚姻潛在影響的認識，因此發起了一場全國性的草根運動。她說：「許多人根本不知道其中的情況。」