A DISGRUNTLED divorcee has suffered a crushing defeat in his High Court bid for a share of his deceased mother-in-law's £250,000 fortune.

Countryside lover, Sylvia Corrall, from Usk, was embroiled from beyond the grave in a venomous dispute between her daughter, Hilary Randall, and her ex-husband, Colin.

Mr Randall insisted that, under the terms of his divorce, he was entitled to about £75,000 of the money Mrs Corral left behind her.

However, his ex-wife, of St Eansythes Court, Tonbridge, Kent, fought him every inch of the way at London's High Court.

And her ex-husband's campaign has now hit the buffers after a judge ruled that he simply had "no interest" in his mother-in-law's estate.

When the Randalls split in 2006, they had agreed that she should get the first £100,000 of any lifetime gifts or inheritance from her mother.

But, as part of the compromise, they also agreed that anything she received from her mum above that sum would be split equally between them.

When Mrs Corral died in March last year, she left £100,000 to Mrs Randall and most of the rest of her fortune to her grandchildren.

Mr Randall insisted that the will had not been properly executed and was invalid.

Amongst other things, he pointed out that will was dated October 2009, but gave an address for Mrs Randall which she did not move into until 2011.

However, she explained that the will had been based on an earlier document and that the date had mistakenly been left unaltered.

The ex-husband also said there was evidence that Mrs Corrall had wished to leave £1,000 to the Usk Rural Life Museum.

There was, he argued, no explanation as to why the museum had been cut out of the final will.

However, a senior High Court official ruled that Mr Randall, who was not a beneficiary under the will, had no right to attack its validity in court.

Deputy Master Collaco Moraes said he had no sufficient interest in his mother-in-law's estate to give him "legal standing".

The solicitor who advised Mrs Corrall had given evidence indicating that her will was properly executed.

And the Deputy Master observed that, on the face of it, Mr Randall in any event had "little chance" of proving the will invalid.