New photo Family's fury after 'toyboy', 68, secretly weds their dementia patient mother

When a man 23 years her junior befriended and moved in with elderly widow Joan Blass, her family was deeply concerned.

The grandmother had been diagnosed with severe dementia, and could barely recall her own name – let alone that of her ‘toyboy’.

After developing cancer too, Mrs Blass died in March 2016 aged 91. But her family’s nightmare had only just begun – for they discovered she had secretly married Colman Folan, the man who had become her live-in carer, five months earlier.

The grandmother, centre, pictured with son Michael and daughter Dapghne in 2014,  had been diagnosed with severe dementia, and could barely recall her own name – let alone that of her ‘toyboy’

The marriage meant her children Michael, 53, and Daphne Franks, 62, losing their £210,000 inheritance as the registry office ceremony annulled her will.

Mrs Franks says her mother – who still wore the wedding ring given to her by late husband Ron, who died in 2008 after five decades together – will not have realised she had remarried.

Mrs Franks was forced to take Mr Folan, now 70, to court over the right to organise the funeral arrangements.

Mrs Blass, above, died in March 2016 aged 91. She spent five decades with her husband Ron, right, pictured with Mrs Blass, who died in 2008. But her family’s discovered she had secretly married Colman Folan in 2015, the man who had become her live-in carer [File photo]

But a four-day hearing at Leeds county court ended with the judge siding with Mr Folan – and Mrs Franks and her relatives were left with a £200,000 legal bill. 

This resulted in them handing their £175,000 half-share of their mother’s house to Mr Folan, topped up with their savings.

Mrs Blass was eventually buried in an unmarked grave in a town she had no connection with. None of her relatives were invited to the funeral. 

Mrs Blass, left, was eventually buried in an unmarked grave in a town she had no connection with. None of her relatives, including Daphne, right, were invited to the funeral

Mrs Franks, who is now campaigning for a change in the law to protect people like her late mother, said: ‘It is impossible to describe the level of shock and distress that we felt on learning of the marriage.

‘When I found out I felt like my knees were buckling and that I was going to faint. I cannot state too strongly how devastated my mother would have been if she had known that the marriage would disinherit her children.’

A complaint to police led to a file being sent to the Crown Prosecution Service to consider a ‘forced marriage’ charge, but lawyers decided against prosecution.

Mrs Franks and her relatives were left with a £200,000 legal bill. This resulted in them handing their £175,000 half-share of their mother’s house to Mr Folan, topped up with their savings

Mr Folan met Mrs Blass in 2011 – the year she was diagnosed with vascular dementia.

Having struck up a conversation as he walked past her house in Leeds, he moved in with the widower a month later. 

Mrs Franks and her husband, who lived next door, were worried about Mr Folan but could do nothing about the relationship as there was no evidence of mistreatment.

Mrs Franks said: ‘Mum never seemed to know he lived there. She was asking, “what is his name? Where did he come from?”’

The marriage meant her children Michael, 53, and Daphne Franks, 62, losing their £210,000 inheritance as the registry office ceremony annulled her will

The couple married in Blackpool in October 2015. 

The only witnesses were Mr Folan’s son and a member of his pub quiz team. 

‘[He] never told anyone about [the marriage], because, I suspect, he had found out that there is a gap in the law,’ Mrs Franks said.

She contacted Blackpool registrars to find out why no concerns were raised, only to be told Mrs Blass seemed happy on the day.

Mr Folan still owns the house but no longer lives there. He could not be reached for comment.

Earlier this year he dismissed the accusations, saying he and Mrs Blass had a ‘loving’ relationship and insisting she had the capacity to go ahead with the marriage.

A Crown Prosecution Service spokesman said: ‘We reviewed this case carefully and concluded that there was not sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction.’

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News Pictures Family's fury after 'toyboy', 68, secretly weds their dementia patient mother

You don’t have to pack away your bikini just because you’re the wrong side of 20. These body-beautiful stars reveal their secrets to staying in shape and prove you can smoulder in a two-piece, whatever your age. Read on and be bikini inspired!

TEENS
Hayden Panettiere
Size: 8
Age: 18
Height: 5ft 1in
Weight: 8st

To achieve her kick-ass figure, Hayden – who plays cheerleader Claire Bennet in Heroes – follows the ‘quartering’ rule. She eats only a quarter of the food on her plate, then waits 20 minutes before deciding whether she needs to eat again.

Hayden says: “I don’t have a model’s body, but I’m not one of those crazy girls who thinks that they’re fat. I’m OK with what I have.”

Nicollette says: “I don’t like diets – I see it, I eat it! I believe in eating healthily with lots of protein, vegetables and carbs to give you energy.”

kim cattrall

Size: 10-12
Age: 52
Height: 5ft 8in
Weight: 9st 4lb

SATC star Kim swears by gym sessions with Russian kettle bells (traditional cast-iron weights) and the South Beach Diet to give her the body she wants. To avoid overeating, Kim has a radical diet trick – squirting lemon juice on her leftovers – so she won’t carry on picking.

Kim says: “I am no super-thin Hollywood actress. I am built for men who like women to look like women.”
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