Judgment has been handed down in the case of a contested estate involving an unsolved murder dating back more than 35 years.

Retired solicitor James Durrant, 74, was found battered to death in his town house in Surbiton, Surrey, in October 1988.

He had been attacked shortly after returning home from a Masonic function in cental London.

A reconstruction of the case featured on TV’s Crimewatch and the family offered a reward of £25,000 for information leading to the conviction of his killer.

But the murder remains unsolved to this day.

His widow Margaret died aged 80 in 1991.

The couple had three sons, of which only their youngest, Christopher – who has changed his surname to Durante by deed poll, survives.

He and his son Jordan have been embroiled in a protracted dispute with the island-based executor of his parents’ estate, accusing him of bias against his branch of the family and failing to trace ‘missing millions’.

In a high court judgment, however, Deemster Arkush rejected his call for Jonathan Smalley to be removed as executor, stating he was satisfied there had been no misconduct in the administration of the will.

In her will Mrs Durrant had expressed her wish that her and husband’s estate be divided equally among their three children, stating there was a ‘great deal of tension’ between them.

In a series of allegations, Jordan Durante said he wanted to expose those he believed were behind the ‘financially motivated murder’ of his grandfather.

He made claims of profiteering, racketeering and corrupt practices, none of which the Deemster said withstood serious examination.

In his written statement, Christopher Durante acknowledged his father, who owned property in the Isle of Man, had committed forgery on at least one occasion, had a ‘technically careless attitude towards some taxes’ and ‘evaded some taxes’.

Mr Smalley said he had faced formidable difficulties in unravelling the estate’s finances as Mr Durrant had conducted his affairs in a consistently dishonest manner.

The Deemster rejected the claim that Mr Smalley had failed to trace and recover assets and said there was nothing credible to suppose more investigations would uncover any ‘missing millions’.

He ordered the remaining estate, totalling some £3m and including funds held in a Jersey trust, to be distributed equally as sought by Mr Smalley, and in accordance with Mrs Durrant’s will.