A FATHER refused to leave an inheritance to his children unless they converted from Jehovah’s Witnesses to become Roman Catholics.

Before he died in April 2012, Patrick Carroll wrote into his will that four of his children would get nothing unless they converted to the religion of his choice within three months of his death and attended his funeral.

They went to his funeral but didn’t convert, meaning they hadn’t satisfied the terms of the will and were not entitled to any portion of Mr Carroll’s estate.

The matter landed in the NSW Supreme Court, where Justice Francois Kunc last Wednesday found that Mr Carroll was entitled to ­include the clause in his will and that the children had not met the conditions to receive their inheritance.

In an unusual twist the court heard evidence Mr Carroll was not even an ­active or practising Roman Catholic but was “outraged” his children had converted to become Jehovah’s Witnesses after he and his wife separated in 1959.

Mr Carroll’s stepdaughter and trustee to his will, Carolyn Margaret Hickin, went before the court in an ­attempt to argue that the condition in Mr Carroll’s will was legally “void for uncertainty” because he actually hadn’t explained fully what he meant by the clause.

But the court found Mr Carroll was clear and there was no uncertainty in the terms of his will.

His children also argued his conditions of them getting part of his estate were ­legally “impossible” and contrary to public policy” but these grounds also failed.

The four children are Robyn Patricia Lyons, Paulene June Carroll, Anthony John Carroll and Susan Margaret Klar, who were to ­receive 35.88 per cent of Mr Carroll’s estate if they met the terms. The remaining 64.12 per cent of his assets were to go to 13 other relatives.

“In the event they should neither convert to Catholicism or attend my funeral then the share given to them under this my Will shall be void and the value thereof divided between my remaining residuary beneficiaries,’’ Mr Carroll’s will said.

The former children were born to Mr Carroll’s former wife Lillian June Carroll, the court heard.

Around the time of Mr Carroll’s separation from Lillian in 1959, she converted to become Jehovah’s Witness.