A Rayleigh woman has spoken of her relief after winning a High Court battle to keep a £300,000 gift from a sick and elderly neighbour.

Susan Osborn, of Grosvenor Road, cooked, cleaned and handled the finances of Dennis Pritler before he died in November 1999 without leaving a will.

Towards the end of Mr Pritler's life he gave Mrs Osborn, 53, and her son Lee Francis his investments of more than £290,000.

But Mrs Osborn and her 29-year-old son, also of Grosvenor Road, were sued by Mr Pritler's 73-year-old cousin Margaret Hammond who claimed no gift was ever intended.

However, the allegation was dismissed by Mr Justice MacKay sitting at London's High Court.

Mrs Osborn, who burst into tears and was hugged by her son when the judge announced his ruling, said: "I still feel like it's Dennis's money - I feel honoured to have been given it by such a man."

In court, Mrs Osborn was described as "a good neighbour" by Mrs Hammond's barrister, Giles Harrap, but he went on to question the "inherent unlikelihood" that a man in poor health but expecting to live would give away his life savings.

However, Mr Justice MacKay ruled that Mr Pritler had given Mrs Osborn the money entirely of his own free will.

Mr Pritler lived in Meadow Road, Loughton, a few doors away from Mrs Osborn's then home - before she moved to Rayleigh in April last year. He suffered from poor sight, mobility problems and underwent a series of operations in the last decade of his life.

Court victory - for good neighbour Susan Osborn, pictured outside the High Court, over Margaret Hammond, left

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