Mother of Dean Jones’ son makes claim over cricket legend’s estate

The love child of late Aussie cricket champion Dean Jones has launched legal action against his wife for a piece of his dad’s estate.

Documents lodged with the Supreme Court of Victoria reveal 12-year-old Koby Dean Hamilton, via his mother, is suing the Victorian cricket great’s widow Jane Jones.

Jones’ son, through his mum Kerri-Anne Hamilton, lodged the suit on Friday to seek an order “that provision be made for (Kobe) out of the estate of (Jones) for his proper maintenance and support”.

The court documents, seen by NCA NewsWire, state the value of Jones’ estate was “yet to be determined” but Kobe claims it does not make “adequate provision” for him.

“(Kobe) is a person to whom the deceased had a moral duty and responsibility to make adequate provision for his proper maintenance and support,” it reads.

“That distribution of the deceased’s estate in accordance with the deceased’s will is such as to not make adequate provision for the proper maintenance and support of (Kobe).

Ms Jones has 10 days to respond to the suit.

Ms Jones has been sued as the executor of Jones’ will, which was made on March 26, 2012, more than eight years before his death, the court documents state.

Jones tragically died aged 59 on September 24, 2020 from a catastrophic stroke after he collapsed in a Mumbai hotel while preparing to commentate on the lucrative Indian Premier League tournament.

Ms Hamilton was a flight attendant who Jones met at a celebrity golf event in the late 1990s before maintaining a secret affair with for almost a decade.

Kobe was born in August 2009 and Jones stunned the nation when he confirmed his relationship with Ms Hamilton in 2010.

The affair soured when Ms Hamilton fell pregnant and started asking for child support payments.

After not meeting Koby for two years, Jones turned a corner and tried his best to be a father to Koby.

In the aftermath of Jones’ sudden death last year, Ms Hamilton said it was important Kobe was heard as his dad was his hero.

“He was so proud of his dad. His dad was, is and will always be his hero,” she said in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald.

“Koby would always wait with such anticipation for Dean to call. He looked up to him and he would have questions written down to ask him because he was so knowledgeable.”

Jones was a destructive top order batter who revolutionised one-day cricket in the late 1980s and early 90s with his fearless running between the wickets, aggressive stroke play and breathtaking fielding.

He played 164 one-day international matches for Australia, scoring 6068 at an average of 44.61, and was a member of Australia’s first ever World Cup winning team in 1987.

He also featured in 52 Test matches, scoring 3631 runs at an average of 46.55. His most famous innings remains a gruelling double century in oppressive heat in Madras (now Chennai), India in 1986 that resulted in him being taken to hospital after he was out.

Jones was farewelled during a moving lap of honour of an empty MCG in October last year.

There was also a touching tribute during last year’s Boxing Day Test, with former Australian captain Allan Border, Ms Jones and his two daughters, Augusta and Phoebe, placing his baggy green, sunglasses and Kookaburra bat in the middle of the MCG.