Tiles tycoon loses £850,000 court battle against grandson over house and wedding gifts

A 90-year-old Sheffield businessman has lost a High Court battle to recover £850,000 from his grandson after a judge ruled the money had been given as gifts rather than loans.

Robert Stokes, the fourth-generation owner of Stokes Tiles, brought legal action against his grandson, Sebastian Stokes, claiming hundreds of thousands of pounds provided for a luxury home and an extravagant wedding were intended to be repaid. However, the High Court dismissed the claim, finding there was no agreement requiring the money to be returned.

The dispute centred on more than £720,000 contributed towards Sebastian's £1 million home in Sheffield, along with thousands of pounds spent on his wedding at the five-star Grantley Hall in North Yorkshire, including £25,000 for the venue and more than £10,000 for flowers.

Relations between the pair had reportedly deteriorated after Robert demanded the property be sold so the money could be repaid, arguing it had been an investment rather than a gift. Sebastian denied this, maintaining that his grandfather had willingly provided the funds to help him establish a family home and support his future within the family business.

In his ruling, Judge Richard Carter concluded there was insufficient evidence that the payments were loans. He found that the close relationship between grandfather and grandson at the time supported the view that the money had been gifted, particularly given Robert's intention for Sebastian to eventually take over the family company.

The case highlighted a wider family dispute, with other relatives alleging Sebastian had benefited from favouritism, while his legal team argued those claims were motivated by jealousy. The court ultimately ruled in Sebastian's favour, bringing the long-running family disagreement to an end.