<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>Nephew who eyed aunt's cash: I'm not greedy
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><TR>Aunt always put family first, so why should lover get her savings, he says after court case </TR><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Nur Dianah Suhaimi
</TD></TR><!-- show image if available --><TR vAlign=bottom><TD width=330>
</TD><TD width=10>
</TD><TD vAlign=bottom>
Mr Kelvin Lim outside the Ang Mo Kio hair salon he inherited from his aunt. Despite getting this and properties worth $1 million, he wanted her savings too. -- PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO PHOTO: SHIN MIN DAILY NEWS
</TD></TR><TR><TD>
View more photos
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"-->The judge said he was greedy.
Mr Kelvin Lim Chen Yeow had taken his aunt's boyfriend, Mr Goh Chin Peng, to court over money inherited by Mr Goh after she died.
<TABLE width=200 align=left valign="top"><TBODY><TR><TD class=padr8><!-- Vodcast --><!-- Background Story --><STYLE type=text/css> #related .quote {background-color:#E7F7FF; padding:8px;margin:0px 0px 5px 0px;} #related .quote .headline {font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:10px;font-weight:bold; border-bottom:3px double #007BFF; color:#036; text-transform:uppercase; padding-bottom:5px;} #related .quote .text {font-size:11px;color:#036;padding:5px 0px;} </STYLE>'I don't know what I've done wrong to deserve this label. My aunt always prioritised her family first. There is no reason for her to leave her money to her boyfriend.'
MR KELVIN LIM, Ms Lim's nephew
'Bee Bee and I were like husband and wife: Whatever was hers was mine and whatever was mine was hers. If I had died before her, I'd have given her at least half of what I owned.'
MR GOH CHIN PENG, Ms Lim's boyfriend
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>The court declared that Mr Goh, 51, was entitled to keep the $345,731 in a joint account held by the aunt - Ms Lim Bee Bee - and himself.
A distraught Mr Lim, 35, told The Sunday Times: 'I don't know what I've done wrong to deserve this label.'
He added: 'My aunt always prioritised her family first. There is no reason for her to leave her money to her boyfriend.'
His aunt was a Singapore Airlines poster girl who left her glamorous life in the skies to run a hair salon.
When she died at age 51 a year and a half ago, her ashes were scattered in the sea in accordance with her wishes.
But the image of her seemingly perfect life came crashing down last week when details of her failed marriage and unwed lover were aired in court and reported.
Ironically, when she died in January last year of diabetes and kidney failure, Mr Goh and Mr Lim were deemed by her to be the most important people in her life.
There was a third man, her former husband Michael Cheong, whom she divorced in 1987. They had no children.
He was the original benefactor of her estate. But she later changed her will and left everything to Mr Lim. This included the hair salon and properties worth about $1 million.
But unbeknown to anyone, she would later put her retirement savings into a joint account with Mr Goh, her lover of four years.
When she died, Mr Goh, an aircraft maintenance technician with the Republic of Singapore Air Force, inherited the A$273,069 (S$345,731) in the account.
Unhappy with this, Mr Lim took Mr Goh to court in a bid to get the money. Last Tuesday, the court ruled that Mr Goh could keep the cash as it was intended for him.
Ms Lim's nephew was rapped by the judge, Justice Chan Seng Onn, for being 'greedy'.
Mr Lim told The Sunday Times over the phone that he knew his aunt better than anyone else, having been with her every day for the past 30 years.
He described her as a well- groomed woman who constantly changed her hair colour and hairstyle. She was also very pretty and friendly, he said.
She had looked after him as a son after his father, her elder brother, had died. Mr Lim was seven at the time.
He joined her hair salon, called Match Point, immediately after his national service and was groomed to be her successor.
He went on to spend 10 hours a day, every day of the week, working with Ms Lim.
'My mother and I took care of her when she was sick and kept her company at the salon. She was alone only at night when we went home,' he said.
Ms Lim lived in a three-room flat above her pleasantly refurbished Ang Mo Kio salon. She had been living alone ever since she divorced Mr Cheong, a former SIA steward and her old neighbour.
They married in 1976 but the relationship suffered due to his penchant for gambling and womanising, according to court documents.
She tried to put up with his ways, but by 1987, she realised that the marriage could no longer be saved and filed for divorce.
The Sunday Times tried unsuccessfully to reach Mr Cheong.
Even then, it was obvious that she still loved him. Seven months after filing for divorce, she wrote a will and left everything she had to him. Court documents revealed that she often confided in her nephew that Mr Cheong was the love of her life and that it was difficult for her to let go.
But she had a change of heart in 1999 when she discovered that Mr Cheong had continued having an affair with a junior hairstylist at Match Point. She saw this as an affront to her as the 'lady boss'.
Feeling hurt and betrayed, she changed her will and left her entire estate to Mr Lim.
Then another man entered her life.
At a Willow Avenue Secondary School gathering at Raffles Town Club in 2002, she met Mr Goh, a divorcee with a 26-year-old son.
According to court documents, she found his 'boring' ways refreshing compared with her former husband, who was flamboyant, long-haired and drove a sports car.
The two hit it off immediately.
Mr Goh, a soft-spoken and polite man who met The Sunday Times, said: 'My Bee Bee was beautiful and very friendly. We had a lot of things in common and we had the same frequency.'
He soon moved in with her. They had dinner every night and spent their free time jogging and practising taiji.
At the weekend, they ate at Jack's Place, her favourite restaurant. They also went on overseas holidays.
Mr Goh proposed to her two years after they met but she declined, saying marriage at their age was pointless.
'But she treated me like a husband. When I came home from work, she'd tell the dog 'Daddy's home!' and greet me at my car. Before I went to work in the morning, I'd hug and kiss her goodbye. I loved her so much and I still do,' said the slim and bespectacled man.
Mr Goh noted that the money in the joint account was meant to fund their retirement years comfortably.
Ms Lim had always been prudent with her money. She bought a property in Australia and rented it out. When she sold it, she left the money in a fixed deposit account to let it accumulate more interest.
When her salon was not doing well in 2004, instead of borrowing from a bank, she took a $48,000 interest-free loan from Mr Goh.
When she died, only $8,000 was left unpaid.
In 1993, she was featured in The Straits Times for her habit of getting advice from customers on share-trading while styling their hair. She even installed two TV sets in her salon to let her clients and staff monitor share prices.
She was also generous with her money. She paid for her niece's education in Australia and supported Mr Lim and his mother after his father died.
When Mr Lim's son was born three years ago, she gave the newborn a $1,000 hongbao.
It was her careful ways - always leaving nothing to chance - which led the judge to conclude that she had put her money into a joint account with Mr Goh with the intention of him receiving her money should she die first.
Ms Lim had to take injections for her diabetes and had constant fainting spells.
Her nephew and the rest of the family knew about the joint account only after her death, when Mr Goh told them. The latter offered to share the money with two of her siblings.
Mr Lim, however, wanted it all and, after making futile demands, took the matter to court.
His lawyer sent Mr Goh a letter, telling him to leave Ms Lim's flat within seven days.
Said Mr Goh: 'I felt very sad. Kelvin and I got along fine before Bee Bee died. But it's not my flat, so I left.'
He now rents a flat in Hougang.
He is not making any plans regarding the money because Mr Lim will be appealing his case.
Mr Goh strongly believes he deserves the money.
'Bee Bee and I were like husband and wife: Whatever was hers was mine and whatever was mine was hers. If I had died before her, I'd have given her at least half of what I owned.'
Sighing, he added: 'I don't think I will ever find someone else like my Bee Bee. I will never forget her.' [email protected]
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><TR>Aunt always put family first, so why should lover get her savings, he says after court case </TR><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Nur Dianah Suhaimi
</TD></TR><!-- show image if available --><TR vAlign=bottom><TD width=330>
</TD><TD width=10>
Mr Kelvin Lim outside the Ang Mo Kio hair salon he inherited from his aunt. Despite getting this and properties worth $1 million, he wanted her savings too. -- PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO PHOTO: SHIN MIN DAILY NEWS
</TD></TR><TR><TD>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"-->The judge said he was greedy.
Mr Kelvin Lim Chen Yeow had taken his aunt's boyfriend, Mr Goh Chin Peng, to court over money inherited by Mr Goh after she died.
<TABLE width=200 align=left valign="top"><TBODY><TR><TD class=padr8><!-- Vodcast --><!-- Background Story --><STYLE type=text/css> #related .quote {background-color:#E7F7FF; padding:8px;margin:0px 0px 5px 0px;} #related .quote .headline {font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:10px;font-weight:bold; border-bottom:3px double #007BFF; color:#036; text-transform:uppercase; padding-bottom:5px;} #related .quote .text {font-size:11px;color:#036;padding:5px 0px;} </STYLE>'I don't know what I've done wrong to deserve this label. My aunt always prioritised her family first. There is no reason for her to leave her money to her boyfriend.'
MR KELVIN LIM, Ms Lim's nephew
'Bee Bee and I were like husband and wife: Whatever was hers was mine and whatever was mine was hers. If I had died before her, I'd have given her at least half of what I owned.'
MR GOH CHIN PENG, Ms Lim's boyfriend
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>The court declared that Mr Goh, 51, was entitled to keep the $345,731 in a joint account held by the aunt - Ms Lim Bee Bee - and himself.
A distraught Mr Lim, 35, told The Sunday Times: 'I don't know what I've done wrong to deserve this label.'
He added: 'My aunt always prioritised her family first. There is no reason for her to leave her money to her boyfriend.'
His aunt was a Singapore Airlines poster girl who left her glamorous life in the skies to run a hair salon.
When she died at age 51 a year and a half ago, her ashes were scattered in the sea in accordance with her wishes.
But the image of her seemingly perfect life came crashing down last week when details of her failed marriage and unwed lover were aired in court and reported.
Ironically, when she died in January last year of diabetes and kidney failure, Mr Goh and Mr Lim were deemed by her to be the most important people in her life.
There was a third man, her former husband Michael Cheong, whom she divorced in 1987. They had no children.
He was the original benefactor of her estate. But she later changed her will and left everything to Mr Lim. This included the hair salon and properties worth about $1 million.
But unbeknown to anyone, she would later put her retirement savings into a joint account with Mr Goh, her lover of four years.
When she died, Mr Goh, an aircraft maintenance technician with the Republic of Singapore Air Force, inherited the A$273,069 (S$345,731) in the account.
Unhappy with this, Mr Lim took Mr Goh to court in a bid to get the money. Last Tuesday, the court ruled that Mr Goh could keep the cash as it was intended for him.
Ms Lim's nephew was rapped by the judge, Justice Chan Seng Onn, for being 'greedy'.
Mr Lim told The Sunday Times over the phone that he knew his aunt better than anyone else, having been with her every day for the past 30 years.
He described her as a well- groomed woman who constantly changed her hair colour and hairstyle. She was also very pretty and friendly, he said.
She had looked after him as a son after his father, her elder brother, had died. Mr Lim was seven at the time.
He joined her hair salon, called Match Point, immediately after his national service and was groomed to be her successor.
He went on to spend 10 hours a day, every day of the week, working with Ms Lim.
'My mother and I took care of her when she was sick and kept her company at the salon. She was alone only at night when we went home,' he said.
Ms Lim lived in a three-room flat above her pleasantly refurbished Ang Mo Kio salon. She had been living alone ever since she divorced Mr Cheong, a former SIA steward and her old neighbour.
They married in 1976 but the relationship suffered due to his penchant for gambling and womanising, according to court documents.
She tried to put up with his ways, but by 1987, she realised that the marriage could no longer be saved and filed for divorce.
The Sunday Times tried unsuccessfully to reach Mr Cheong.
Even then, it was obvious that she still loved him. Seven months after filing for divorce, she wrote a will and left everything she had to him. Court documents revealed that she often confided in her nephew that Mr Cheong was the love of her life and that it was difficult for her to let go.
But she had a change of heart in 1999 when she discovered that Mr Cheong had continued having an affair with a junior hairstylist at Match Point. She saw this as an affront to her as the 'lady boss'.
Feeling hurt and betrayed, she changed her will and left her entire estate to Mr Lim.
Then another man entered her life.
At a Willow Avenue Secondary School gathering at Raffles Town Club in 2002, she met Mr Goh, a divorcee with a 26-year-old son.
According to court documents, she found his 'boring' ways refreshing compared with her former husband, who was flamboyant, long-haired and drove a sports car.
The two hit it off immediately.
Mr Goh, a soft-spoken and polite man who met The Sunday Times, said: 'My Bee Bee was beautiful and very friendly. We had a lot of things in common and we had the same frequency.'
He soon moved in with her. They had dinner every night and spent their free time jogging and practising taiji.
At the weekend, they ate at Jack's Place, her favourite restaurant. They also went on overseas holidays.
Mr Goh proposed to her two years after they met but she declined, saying marriage at their age was pointless.
'But she treated me like a husband. When I came home from work, she'd tell the dog 'Daddy's home!' and greet me at my car. Before I went to work in the morning, I'd hug and kiss her goodbye. I loved her so much and I still do,' said the slim and bespectacled man.
Mr Goh noted that the money in the joint account was meant to fund their retirement years comfortably.
Ms Lim had always been prudent with her money. She bought a property in Australia and rented it out. When she sold it, she left the money in a fixed deposit account to let it accumulate more interest.
When her salon was not doing well in 2004, instead of borrowing from a bank, she took a $48,000 interest-free loan from Mr Goh.
When she died, only $8,000 was left unpaid.
In 1993, she was featured in The Straits Times for her habit of getting advice from customers on share-trading while styling their hair. She even installed two TV sets in her salon to let her clients and staff monitor share prices.
She was also generous with her money. She paid for her niece's education in Australia and supported Mr Lim and his mother after his father died.
When Mr Lim's son was born three years ago, she gave the newborn a $1,000 hongbao.
It was her careful ways - always leaving nothing to chance - which led the judge to conclude that she had put her money into a joint account with Mr Goh with the intention of him receiving her money should she die first.
Ms Lim had to take injections for her diabetes and had constant fainting spells.
Her nephew and the rest of the family knew about the joint account only after her death, when Mr Goh told them. The latter offered to share the money with two of her siblings.
Mr Lim, however, wanted it all and, after making futile demands, took the matter to court.
His lawyer sent Mr Goh a letter, telling him to leave Ms Lim's flat within seven days.
Said Mr Goh: 'I felt very sad. Kelvin and I got along fine before Bee Bee died. But it's not my flat, so I left.'
He now rents a flat in Hougang.
He is not making any plans regarding the money because Mr Lim will be appealing his case.
Mr Goh strongly believes he deserves the money.
'Bee Bee and I were like husband and wife: Whatever was hers was mine and whatever was mine was hers. If I had died before her, I'd have given her at least half of what I owned.'
Sighing, he added: 'I don't think I will ever find someone else like my Bee Bee. I will never forget her.' [email protected]
lah.....
