Two sisters are in a bitter dispute with their own father over their grandmother's inheritance.
Katie and Abbie Rogers, from Darlington, say still they haven't been able to grieve properly after their gran Sylvia Rogers' passing, after becoming embroiled in a legal battle over their inheritance.
The pair have been locked in a lengthy dispute with their estranged father Gary Rogers, who was ordered by a judge to hand over the estate, relevant documentation and bank statements earlier this year.
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A High Court hearing which took place on 6 December, however, was told that he had failed to carry out the order.
As a result, Rogers was sentenced to a six months jail term, which was suspended for 12 months under the Contempt of Court Act 1981.
He was also ordered to pay court costs of more than £10,000, which had been incurred by his two daughters during their dispute.
Sylvia was 80 years old when she passed away following a cancer diagnosis.
Katie says that her gran had changed the executor of her will to her son after her husband, George, died in 2015.
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The will stated that Katie, Abbie and their father were to split the inheritance three ways, with the two granddaughters receiving £44,000 each.
However, after a year had passed and Gary had still not given them their share of Sylvia's estate, the two sisters decided enough was enough and sought legal advice.
Speaking about the split, Katie, who is studying at university to become a social worker, said she and her gran were incredibly close.
She said: "My mam and dad got divorced when I was about nine or 10. My dad had no contact with us throughout our teenage years.
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"We had no relationship with him but we stayed very close to my grandma. I think she felt she needed to sort of step in because I think she felt guilty that her son had let us two down.
"We ended up being very close. Religiously every weekend we'd stay at my grandma's. She did everything for us.
"She basically took on the role of my dad because he wasn't there."
Katie said she believes Sylvia changed the executor of the will to Gary because she wanted to try and bring them back together again.
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"The main reason why I think she wanted to do it was she knew we would have to speak to each other and we could rekindle our relationship," she said.
Instead it ended in a legal battle, and Katie and pregnant Abbie, 28, have struggled to grieve.
"She'd be turning in her grave. She'd be so upset, she'd be absolutely devastated. I think that's what upsets me as well. If she was here I honestly don't think she would be able to get her head around it," added Katie.
"She was a lovely woman, she would do anything for anyone. She'd give her last penny to anyone. For her son to do that to us, it would have killed her. She would have been absolutely devastated."
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During the court hearing, Gary claimed that he had suffered with type 2 diabetes and poor mental health, which prevented him from dealing with the inheritance sooner.
He has until 7 January 2022 to comply with the original order.
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