Rachel O'Hare, aged 49, was pursuing legal action against her former lover Owen Pacey, 60, regarding the ownership of a five-story Georgian house located in the popular Spitalfields neighborhood, prior to her passing.
As per court records viewed by the Mail, she asserts that she covered the cost of the property and it belonged to her legally.
Ms. O'Hare claimed that Mr. Pacey, a former squatter and self-taught expert in antique fireplaces, who countsMick Jagger, Naomi Campbell, Kate Winsletand Orlando Bloom was among his clients, had excluded her from the upscale residence.
She claims he prevented her from retrieving her possessions, refused to cover any expenses, and warned that he would 'ruin' the interior, which is filled with exquisite artwork, elaborate Italian chandeliers, and high-end designer furnishings.
The pair, who had a bitter separation in May of the previous year, were scheduled to confront each other in a High Court trial regarding the property in the coming months.
However, only four days following the latest hearing in the case at Leeds Combined Court on June 26, Ms. O'Hare was discovered deceased.
The specific events that occurred during the cost and case management hearing remain unclear, but on June 30, her body was found on the sidewalk near an apartment building in Manchester's downtown area, where she had been residing.
The police stated there are no signs of suspicion, and an inquiry into her passing is scheduled to begin next week.
In a statement presented to the court, Ms. O'Hare stated that Mr. Pacey convinced her to purchase the stylish 18th-century home located on Wilkes Street in east London, under both their names, in June 2021.
She obtained a loan and also utilized the funds from her divorce settlement with her ex-husband, Steve O'Hare, 50, a wealthy investment manager based in Cheshire, with whom she has three teenage children, to cover the cost.
At that point, she and Mr. Pacey had been in a relationship for under a year, following a fast-paced romance that began when they met at his upscale fireplace showroom, Renaissance, located in a former Victorian pub in Shoreditch, east London.
Documents reviewed by MailOnline reveal that when the ex-partners purchased the home in 2021, both signed a contract stating that if one passed away, the property would go to the remaining partner.
The papers, prepared by the lawyers who managed the acquisition of the historic Spitalfields home, provided Mr Pacey and Ms O’Hare two choices: they could each hold a defined share of the entire property or they could jointly own it entirely, with full ownership passing to the surviving partner if the other died first.
As they pursued the latter choice, the documents dated 1st August 2021 indicate that Owen Pacey was declared the sole owner of the £2.7 million 18th property in London after Rachel O’Hare's unexpected passing.
During a newspaper interview, while they were still together, Mr. Pacey stated that he fell in love instantly upon their first meeting.
She purchased a table," he said. "That was it, the moment I laid eyes on her.
Ms. O'Hare mentioned that Mr. Pacey, who grew up in a council flat in the tough area of Bethnal Green and left school at 14 without any qualifications, pledged to give her his portion of the four-bedroom house within two years, after he sold the £1.2 million maisonette located above his shop.
"The first defendant (Mr. Pacey) stated he had no funds available to contribute at the time the property was acquired but indicated he would be able to pay the claimant for his portion at a later date," according to legal documents.
To ensure her sense of calm, Ms. O'Hare mentioned that Mr. Pacey also consented to transfer half of his fireplace business, valued at approximately £5 million, into her name until he obtained the funds.
She further stated that they had agreed to split the expenses for renovating the house – they spent £14,000 just on radiator valves – and, if he failed to contribute his portion or if they separated, the property would return to her ownership.
Mr. Pacey provided her with documents to sign, which made her believe he was handling the legal procedures, and also sent her comforting messages, stating, "You are listed on the title deed for either the apartment or the shop," she mentioned.
Just before Christmas in 2022, the couple became engaged, and Mr. Pacey gave Ms. O'Hare a 50% ownership stake in the three-bedroom maisonette.
He relocated to the recently restored Wilkes Street home and shared with a reporter, "I used to imagine residing in Spitalfields. To truly live there now – I've never been this content."
However, Ms. O'Hare stayed in Mere, Cheshire, along with her three children who were of school age, and 10 months later, in October 2023, the couple's 'turbulent' relationship began to face difficulties.
Ms. O'Hare found out that Mr. Pacey had never officially documented her 50 percent share in his company, leading to frequent disputes about finances.
She stated she ended up covering the majority of the home renovation costs when he didn't pay the contractors.
She further claimed that Mr. Pacey was 'domineering' and directed her attorneys to initiate legal proceedings against him.
The connection between the claimant (Ms O'Hare) and the first defendant (Mr Pacey) was unstable," stated Ms O'Hare's lawsuit. "Events resulted in brief separations, with a definitive and clear breakup occurring in May 2024.
The applicant argues that the reason for the failures was the first defendant's dominant and harsh conduct, which resulted in police intervention.
In a separate statement filed with the court, Mr. Pacey denied encouraging Ms. O'Hare, a well-known fundraiser who established a domestic abuse charity that supplies toiletries to women in shelters, to purchase the house under both their names.
He claimed she did it because they were "in love," and there was no conversation or understanding regarding him eventually covering half the cost of the house or transferring over 50 percent of his business.
"The parties (Ms O'Hare and Mr Pacey) were set to marry, with no mention of who owned what," his legal filing stated.
Mr. Pacey, who once referred to becoming homeless and residing in a squat in King's Cross following the repossession of his initial apartment in the 1980s as "the most traumatic experience I've ever faced," also rejected claims of being domineering.
He mentioned that they had only had serious arguments twice — both instances occurred when Ms. O'Hare was intoxicated, in Rye, Kent, during the summer of 2023, and the night prior to their departure for New York in May 2024.
He also denied refusing Ms. O'Hare entry to the property, currently valued at more than £3.2 million, or failing to pay bills or vowing to damage it.
He stated he contributed £70,000 to the home renovation and supplied the majority of the furnishings from his store.
He had also put in six Italian marble fireplaces, valued at £350,000, and stated that Ms O'Hare had arranged high-profile magazine articles to showcase and market the 2,700sq ft property, which they intended to lease for £1,000 per day for photo sessions.
As per his statement, issued in February of this year, he aimed to have the maisonette and the Georgian house assessed, in order to purchase her share from both properties.
When contacted by the Mail, Mr. Pacey declined to talk about his legal conflict with his ex-fiancée, merely stating: "I adored every step Rachel took."
He mentioned that Ms. O'Hare had been experiencing mental health issues in the days before her passing and had recently been hospitalized.
Mr Pacey said: I'm struggling with my mental health. I don't want to be here without her.
Posting Komentar