The Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court has advised the Counsels for the aggrieved party to make an application before Colombo District Court to obtain the certified copies of the alleged forged last will of late Miss Ceylon 1962 Jennifer Ingleton (nee Labrooy) for the perusal of magisterial inquiry relating to its authenticity.

The Court had earlier ordered the registrar of Colombo District Court to produce the purported Last Will and Testaments of late Jennifer Ingleton in Court for perusal relating to the magisterial inquiry.

However, when the matter came up before acting Magistrate Lochani Abeywikrema, the Court observed that the application to issue notice on the District Court registrar requesting to furnish the alleged-forged last will in the Magistrate Court ought to have been made by the Colombo Fraud Investigation Bureau being the prosecution. The officials attached to the Fraud Bureau were not present in Court. Accordingly, magisterial inquiry into the alleged questionable last will of late Jennifer Ingleton was postponed for September 28, taking into account the submission made by Senior Counsel Ian Fernando for the aggrieved party.

Jennifer Ingleton (nee Labrooy) was crowned Miss Ceylon in 1962 and passed away on 17th July 2020 after a sickness at her residence in Cotta Terrace, Borella. She was looked after by the suspect Sujeewa Jayathileke and one lady by the name of Kurulu who were not the blood relations of her family. It was purportedly said that Jennifer Ingleton had bequeathed all her properties to Sujeewa Jayathileke. The suspicion occurred in the normal circumstances due to Ingleton’s friends and well-wishers not being allowed to visit her when she was residing at her residence.

The prosecution is expecting to refer the said last will to the scrutiny of the Government Examiner of Questioned Documents to analyze the authenticity or whether the said document is a forged last will or not. The Colombo Fraud Bureau is conducting further investigations.

Jennifer’s half-brother and a sister-in-law had complained to the Colombo Fraud Bureau over the suspicious Last Will and the testaments alleged to have been signed by Jennifer, a 78-year-old widow, without any children and any relations living in Sri Lanka. Jennifer had died under suspicious circumstances according to her brother, presently living in England.   

The half-brother had alleged that she could have been saved if proper attention and treatment was given. He said the chaperon who looked after her had not sought medical assistance deliberately to get hold of her assets in Sri Lanka.

Senior Counsel Ian Fernando with Counsel Seneth Chamara Ranasinghe instructed by Derek Fernando Associates appeared for the prosecution. Counsel Chamin Jayasinghe appeared for the suspect. (Lakmal Sooriyagoda)