Heather Mills' payout was a fair deal, says top divorce lawyer

London, Mar 18 : Heather Mills' 24.3 million pounds divorce settlement was a fair deal, according to a top divorce lawyer.

Marilyn Stowe said that the amount is what most experts predicted but according to her, the divorce could have been settled two years ago.

"It was always thought the settlement would be 20 million pounds to 30 million pounds, so 24.3 million pounds won't surprise anyone.

"If she invests 10 million pounds in property, leaving nearly 15 million pounds for everything else, she'll have a tax-free income of around 1 million pounds a year for life.

"She's done ok but it's no more or no less than she was offered two years ago.

"There was a figure around then that Sir Paul offered 30 million pounds and that was very fair. Effectively they've wasted the past two years."

"The damage done to the family and the stress of playing this out in the media spotlight has been horrendous and not necessary.

"Does it matter whether Sir Paul is worth 400 million pounds or 800 million pounds? Either way the figure is gargantuan. I'm shocked this case was not settled sooner," she added.

ANI