A man who claimed his white father never accepted him as his son because he was ‘too dark-skinned’ has lost a court case for a share of his £500,000 fortune.
Sunny Pyburn, 38, was subjected to “horrific” physical and emotional abuse as a child from his father Bill Pyburn, fueled by his belief that he was not his biological son.
Mr. Pyburn was born of an affair his father had, but because of his “very dark skin” as a child, Bill suspected he wasn’t really his, a court heard.
He told a judge that he was repeatedly called “p**i” by his father, who wouldn’t allow him to wear a baseball cap backwards because it made him “look like a ****r.”
When he died in 2020, Bill completely removed Sunny from his will, with his £500,000 Winchester house going to the woman he’d cheated on and left behind, Jackie Pyburn, now 75.
Last week, Sunny filed a “moral claim” against Jackie for a share of his father’s estate, which he said he deserved due to the “cruel” abuse he endured and which he said has haunted him to this day. hits.
Sunny Pyburn, 38, who claimed his white father never accepted him as his son because he was ‘too dark-skinned’, has lost a lawsuit for part of his £500,000 fortune. Mr Pyburn (pictured outside Central London County COurt) was subjected to ‘horrific’ physical and emotional abuse as a child at the hands of his father Bill Pyburn, fueled by his belief that he was not his biological son
But after a lawsuit in Central London County Court, his claim was dismissed after recorder Marie-Clare Bleasdale found that Jackie’s need was greater than Sunny’s.
She accepted that Sunny had been severely assaulted, but said that Jackie was also a victim due to her husband’s infidelity, and that Sunny is old enough to stand on her own two feet.
The court heard that Bill and Jackie had married in 1969 and moved on the same day to their home in Goring Fields, Winchester, where Jackie still lives today.
In the early 1980s, Bill began an affair with psychologist Dr Gita Deb and eventually left his wife to live with his lover in Eastleigh.
They had Sunny, but TV repairman Bill kept returning to Goring Fields, where he had a workshop in the garage.
As Sunny grew up, Jackie often had to feed her husband’s love child Sunny, whom his father brought to the former marital home when his childminder was busy.
The father-son relationship ended in 2006 when Bill was charged and later convicted of sexual offenses against a woman, with Sunny refusing to assist him.
His father almost immediately made a will and left his £500,000 house to Jackie and nothing at all to Sunny.
When he died in 2020, Bill completely cut Sunny out of his will, with his £500,000 home in Winchester going to the woman he’d cheated and left behind, Jackie Pyburn, now 75 (pictured)
Last week, Sunny (left) filed a “moral claim” against Jackie (right) for a portion of his father’s estate, which he said he deserved due to the “cruel” abuse he endured that he said caused him hit to this day.
Sunny claimed a payout from Jackie’s inheritance, telling Recorder Bleasdale that he had a “moral claim” to the money.
His childhood had been blighted by physical and emotional abuse from his father, which he said was disguised as “punishment or discipline.”
He said his father would berate him with accusations that he couldn’t be his son because his skin was “too dark.”
Dr. Deb, Sunny’s mother, had been Asian, but Bill guessed that his real biological father must also be Asian because of his skin color.
Sunny, who now lives in Barcelona where he teaches English, testified and told the judge that his father had often called him a “f***ing pa*i” who couldn’t be his son.
The only time he called him his son was when he objected to Sunny wearing a baseball cap backwards, saying he didn’t want his “son to look like a ***.”
He said he would be beaten or insulted if the extra schoolwork his father gave was wrong, including once his head was smashed against a wall for writing random words on a test.
Describing his father’s “horrific” treatment, he added: “He always hated me. He was convinced I couldn’t be his son.’
He sued Jackie for part of his father’s estate, claiming that his education and earning potential had been negatively affected and significantly limited by the impact of the abuse.
He claimed a payout to pay for better accommodation and fund training so he can forge a career in computer programming and earn better wages.
The abuse he endured had led to mental health problems and therapy, he said, and he had struggled to form bonds with other people in adulthood.
Although he had worked as a wedding DJ in England, he had since moved to Spain where he earns very low wages and lives in shared accommodation in a rough area.
In her evidence, Jackie denied seeing any abuse and described her husband as a “gentle man” who only wanted his son to receive a good education.
She insisted she would step in if Bill showed any sign of aggression, accusing Sunny of making it up to further his case.
But in his verdict, Recorder Bleasdale said, “I find I cannot disprove Sunny’s account of these events.”
She pointed to a Facebook post from Sunny’s half-brother Steven detailing how Jackie confesses to casting doubts in Bill about his paternity.
As evidence, Jackie explained that she received a call from Sunny’s mother’s husband, which cast a genuine doubt on whether Sunny was Bill’s child.
But the judge said she was convinced Jackie didn’t know about the abuse because she wasn’t always there when Sunny and his father were together.
Bill had cheated on Jackie and left her for another woman, but kept coming to her house to work, and she sometimes had to feed his love child, she said.
“I believe that Jackie and Sunny were both victims of the decedent’s behavior and both faced the consequences of that behavior,” she added.
She accepted that Sunny’s current way of life was not sustainable, but Jackie herself also needed what her estranged husband had left her to fend for herself in old age.
The judge said Sunny felt wronged after the abuse, but was wrong when she suggested that Jackie turn a blind eye to what happened.
She said Bill excluded Sunny from his will because he refused to stand by his father when he was arrested, charged and convicted of sex offenses.
But while Bill’s disinheritance of his son was “morally reprehensible,” she said she couldn’t award an estate reward as “punishment” for his bad behavior.
Bill’s “primary obligation” at the time of his death was to Jackie, as they were still married and she lived in the house they moved into on their wedding day 54 years ago.
“At the date of his death, he owed Sunny no ongoing obligation,” she continued.
“He was a grown man and he took care of himself. Sunny is a young man, quite capable of supporting himself.
“I accept that he will have to make lifestyle changes for that, but that is his responsibility.”
His claim was rejected.
