Passions run high when it comes to inheritance, as a story on Wales Online amply demonstrated this week.

The piece reported on a case at Cardiff Crown Court this week, where the defendant had threated to stab his estranged cousin after accusing her family of stealing his father’s £400,000 inheritance.

Fifty-five-year-old Lex Littlewood entered Jane James’ home in Ebbw Valley on April 4, ranting that he was going to kill her, saying that her mother had “robbed” his father of a huge sum of money. Family members removed him from the house, but he told James he would return and kill her.

The sentence hearing at the crown court heard that Ms James hadn’t seen her cousin in 15 years and his actions had astonished her when he turned up at the house without any warning.

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Crown Prosecutor Jenny Yeo said the defendant had asked to speak with the victim alone. When she refused, he started to shout about the £400,000 and a farm. He then produced a farrier knife, frightening Ms James, who described his behaviour as “angry and threatening”.

The police were summoned and arrested Littlewood, recovering the knife later that day after he himself had been the victim of an assault.

Littlewood of Tredegar later pled guilty to affray.

Remanded in custody

Littlewood’s barrister, Jeffrey Jones said his client’s sister had died and he was “greatly worked up by what had happened in the family”, and things had got on top of him. He added that the knife had not been seen close to the body of his cousin. Littlewood had been remanded in custody ever since his arrest.

Judge Niclas Parry said he accepted Littlewood had acted out of character having experienced “difficult family circumstances”. He was sentenced to four months imprisonment, suspended for 12 months.