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Bail extended for lawyer, medical doctor accused of forgery

Published:Friday | November 27, 2015 | 12:00 AMBarbara Gayle, Justice Coordinator

The Kingston-based attorney and medical doctor accused of forging the will of deceased hotelier John Sinclair are to return to court on January 27.

Sixty-seven-year-old lawyer, Peter Millingen, and 58-year-old medical doctor, Dane Levy, appeared in court today where a magistrate extended their bail until their next court date.

Milligen has been charged with conspiracy to defraud, uttering a forged document, and demanding property by means of forged document, while Levy is to face charges of conspiracy to defraud and forgery.

Attorney-at-law, Tom Tavares Finson, who is representing Millingen, says as soon as full disclosure is made in the case he plans to write to the Director of Public Prosecutions asking her to review the case.

According to him, neither his client nor the doctor benefited in any way from will.

He contends that the allegations against the men are without merit.

It’s reported that in 2013, Sinclair’s daughter requested a copy of her father’s will, but Millingen denied the request.

The daughter then hired another lawyer, who applied for and obtained a copy of the document.

After examining the will, the relative reportedly discovered discrepancies with the document including the signature of the deceased.

A report was made to the police and an investigation launched.

The purported document was examined by the police Questioned Document Examination Department, along with several specimen handwritings.

The police say the examination revealed that the signature on the will was forged.

The investigation also revealed that Millingen, who allegedly prepared the will, filed an Affidavit of Feeble Handwriting in the Supreme Court of Jamaica.

That court application stated that the lawyer was present on the date when the deceased and the two purported witnesses signed the document.

However, the police say forensic evidence uncovered that it was Levy who forged the signatures of the witnesses.