The partner of a retired policeman allegedly forged a will after his death so she could keep his £180,000 estate out of the hands of his estranged wife.
Victoria Kendrew persuaded two friends to act as witnesses and supply false statements confirming that the will was genuine, Exeter Crown Court was told.
The document was submitted just days before probate was due to be granted to the widow of retired police officer Peter Farquharson, who committed suicide in March 2008, aged 53.
He had left his wife Jayne Humphries 15 months before his death and the jury were told he did not make a will at all, meaning his entire estate should have reverted to his lawful widow.
Miss Humphries applied for and was given administration of his estate but three weeks before she was due to inherit it in June 2009 her solicitors were told Kendrew had come forward with a will.
She claimed Mr Farquharson made the will two months before his death and it had been witnessed by two friends from Guildford who were in Devon on a fishing trip.
She said she had come across the will by chance in May 2009 in the pocket of one of Mr Farquahason's fishing jackets.
The court heard that an examination by a handwriting expert showed the signature was forged and the two witnesses later admitted they had lied about it.
His estate included a house in Third Avenue, Teignmouth, which he had bought jointly with Miss Humphries but which had been registered in his name alone.
Kendrew, aged 43, of Lilypond Lane, Whimple, denies conspiracy to forge a will and to pervert the course of justice and fraud.
Carl Jensen and Kevin Dodd, both from Guildford, have both admitted the conspiracy charges and are due to give evidence at the trial, the jury have been told.
Mr Nigel Wraith, prosecuting, said:"This case is all about the forgery of a will. Kendrew was in a relationship with Mr Farquharson, who sadly took his own life in March 2008, having earlier separated from his wife.
"At the time he died the divorce had not been finalised and he did not leave a will, which means his estate was due to go to his estranged wife under the laws of intestacy.
"A document was presented by Kendrew which purported to be the will of Mr Farquharson which left his entire estate to Kendrew. We say that document is a forgery.
"We say she was the driving force behind that forgery and roped in Mr Jensen and Mr Dodd to create the false document because any will requires two witnesses.
"There were questions raised about the veracity of the document and Mr Jensen and Mr Dodd provided statements to solicitors which asserted it was a true and valid document."
Mr Wraith said on the strength of this evidence Miss Humphries relinquished her claim and Kendrew took the entire estate which included the house in Teignmouth, which netted £135,000, a boat, Land Rover, and other assets adding in total to around £180,000.
He said Miss Humphries remained suspicious and inquiries were started which included an examination by a hand writing expert, who concluded the signature was forged.
Jensen and Dodd were traced and after initially supporting the original story they admitted forging the will after bank records showed one of them was in Guildford on the day when the will was supposedly signed in Teignmouth.
