A family say they cannot grieve for their mother properly while a collapsed solicitors firm currently the subject of a fraud probe continues to hold onto £300,000 which should have been given to her daughters.

Mabel Eddolls, who was known as Valerie, left her house and life savings to her five daughters when she passed away in 2022.

Her solicitors, Axiom Ince, collapsed in October 2023 amid accusations client funds had gone missing following an exodus of lawyers to other funds, reports Reuters, and the family are yet to see any of the money.

Helen Coles, one of Valerie’s daughters, said: “We haven’t grieved for mum because we haven’t been allowed to.

Swindon Advertiser:

“It has been nothing but a nightmare.

“I go to bed and I wake up and I think that I am in a nightmare that I can’t get out, that’s how we are all feeling, we are all going through the same, we are in a nightmare.

“It is not just me, it is my children that have to go through this with me."

Valerie had gone to Swindon-based solicitors, Hillman’s in September 2011 to write her will.

She died on June 27, 2022 and in her will, the cost of her house (approximately £255,000) as well as her savings (approximately £50,000) was to be split between her five daughters.

Since the will was first made, Hillman’s became Hillman Pooley, which was then absorbed by Axiom Ince.

Helen has said that at no point were her, any of her sisters or her mother informed of the change to the solicitors.

After Valerie’s death, the solicitors were tasked with selling the house. The house was sold for approximately £255,000 on September 20, 2023, amid an investigation into the actions of the executives of the company.

Since the sale of the house and the closure of Axiom Ince, Helen and her sisters are still yet to receive any of their money.

Helen and her sisters paid tribute to their late mother and said: “Our beloved mother, Valerie, was a strong-willed, hard-working, family-oriented woman.

Widowed in her 50s, Valerie worked into her late 60's at a local school as a MDSA, loved by the pupils and teachers, widely recognised as 'Nanny Val.'

“She was incredibly mindful and prudent of her finances, and loved her family unconditionally, always putting her daughters first. Valerie created a will with her solicitors, as to ensure that upon her passing, we could mourn without the weight of the arrangements. 

“She would frequently reassure her daughters that everything would be taken care of, and truly believed that everything her and our father worked tirelessly towards in life, would be protected and looked after.

“She would be mortified and heartbroken to know that the trust she had placed within her solicitors had been completely broken and her final wishes disregarded.”

The Solicitors Regulation Authority closed Axiom Ince in October, and has been dealing with former clients since.

An SRA spokesperson said: “We run a compensation fund that offers protection to law firm’s clients. It helps guard against financial loss if there are fundamental ethical failures by a solicitor.

“We would encourage anyone who thinks they are in that situation to get in touch to see what we can do to help.”