A woman who contested her parents' will after they left their £2.34m estate in North Yorkshire to the RSPCA has won her legal battle.

Christine Gill, 58, claimed her father forced her mother into making the will and she had been assured she would inherit the farm near Northallerton.

Dr Gill said she was happy and "about to burst into tears" after a judge ruled she should inherit the estate.

The RSPCA said it was "very surprised" and "disappointed" and would appeal.

Speaking outside the High Court hearing in Leeds, Dr Gill said: "It's all been tremendously hard - the waiting was hard, the uncertainty.

"I'm shaking and about to burst into tears. I'm quite happy and very relieved at the same time."

Dr Gill, an only child, told the court she had devoted many years to helping out on Potto Carr Farm.

In his judgement Judge James Allen QC said it would be "unconscionable" if she did not inherit the estate.

He found that Dr Gill's mother Joyce had been "coerced" by her husband John into making a will that was contrary to her wishes as she had an "avowed dislike" of the charity.

He said that Mrs Gill had wanted her daughter to inherit the farm but Mr Gill had exerted pressure over his wife to favour the RSPCA.

The judge agreed with expert evidence heard during last year's hearings that Mrs Gill suffered from agoraphobia and severe anxiety.

Judge Allen described Mr Gill as a "bully" and a "domineering" and "determined" man.

Source: BBC News