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The half-sister of the singer behind chart-topping dancehall smash hit “It Wasn’t Me” has been handed a £126,000 court bill after losing a family fight over their dad’s £1m will.
British-Jamaican vocalist Rickardo “Rik Rok” Ducent co-wrote the much-loved 2001 UK number one with Shaggy and sang the main vocals on the track, which went beyond one billion plays on Spotify and had sold nearly 1.5 million discs by 2017.
In the song, Rik laments that he’s been caught “red-handed” cheating on his girl, while Shaggy hands out some advice, urging him to simply plead: “It wasn’t me”.
But his own father who led to the singer becoming embroiled in a court battle between his mum and one of his several half siblings, Sarah Ducent, with his half-sister – who said she is “on the breadline” – suing for a share of the estate.
Her case was thrown out by a judge last year, but was back in court again last week as she challenged a £126,000 costs bill made against her to cover Dorothy’s legal fees, which she labelled “excessive” and “disproportionate”.
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Sarah went to court in a bid to secure “reasonable provision” from her dad’s estate, claiming she is now living “on the breadline” (Champion News)
At Central London County Court, Judge Jane Evans-Gordon threw out the bid to “set aside” the six-figure order after noting that there were no solid grounds for challenging it – despite accepting Sarah “just doesn’t have that sort of money” to pay.
Rik became a star in 2001 when “It Wasn’t Me” reached number one in ten countries worldwide, and he later continued a successful career as a solo artist, with critics praising his “honeyed” voice.
But in a bizarre instance of life imitating art, the 53-year-old singer became caught up in a fraught inter-family legal clash, rooted in his own father’s romantic escapades.
The clash pitted Sarah Ducent against Rik Rok’s mother, Dorothy Ducent, who had worked alongside Herbert in his south London bakery business and inherited his wealth after his death 18 years ago.
The court heard Rik’s dad, who died in 2007 aged 63, was a successful entrepreneur who established a construction company in Jamaica, as well as running the thriving bakery in Coldharbour lane, Brixton, south London.
However, he had a “strained” relationship with Dorothy “because of other women in his life” and had fathered at least five other children with various mothers, as well as the two the couple had together, Rik and brother Gregory.
Dorothy Ducent had worked alongside Herbert in his south London bakery business and inherited his wealth after his death 18 years ago (Champion News)
After his death, a court fight erupted over his fortune between Dorothy – who was left all Herbert’s money under a will drawn up in Jamaica – and one of those children, Sarah.
His English estate mainly consisted of two neighbouring properties in Peak Hill, Sydenham, jointly valued at around £900,000, with more property forming his Jamaican estate.
Sarah went to court in a bid to secure “reasonable provision” from her dad’s estate, claiming she is now living “on the breadline” and needs cash.
But in order to claim part of his fortune in the British courts, she had to establish that Herbert’s legal permanent home was in London, rather than Jamaica.
The key question for Judge Jane Evans-Gordon to decide was whether the English courts had “jurisdiction” to deal with the claim, or whether it was a purely Jamaican issue.
The judge found that after marrying Dorothy, Herbert also fathered a second child with a Jamaican woman in 1978 and went on to father at least three more with other women in Jamaica.
Herbert had moved the family to Jamaica in 1983, with Dorothy moving back to London in 1996, after which Herbert never visited England again.
The judge concluded: “I am satisfied that Herbert was domiciled in Jamaica at his date of death.”
Sting, left, and Shaggy arrive at the 79th Tony Awards on Sunday, June 7, 2026, at Radio City Music Hall in New York (AP)
In court last week, Sarah challenged the making of the costs order, under which she has to pay £126,000 to cover Dorothy’s legal bills, describing the sum as “excessive.”
But lawyers for Dorothy, defending the issuing of the “default costs certificate” against Sarah, highlighted her past non-compliance with court orders, including a previous order that she stump up £40,000 towards Dorothy’s legal fees which had not materialised.
Ruling against Sarah, Judge Evans-Gordon said Sarah “just doesn’t have that sort of money” but that the amount ordered was not over the top.
“I am not going to set aside the default costs’ certificate, I am not satisfied that £126,000 for a dispute of this nature is plainly disproportionate,” she said.
“There was a three-day trial and there have been a number of hearings. It was also an international case in the sense that it involved witnesses from overseas.
“The deceased had been domiciled and resident in Jamaica for many years and much of the evidence had to come from there.”
At least one witness had to give video evidence from Jamaica, said the judge, adding that Dorothy’s son, Rik, also had to “fly in” to give evidence.
“I cannot say that £126,000 is disproportionate in all the circumstances,” said the judge, adding: “I see a great many costs orders, some of which are positively eye-watering, and I’m afraid that this is not such a figure.
“Her inability to pay is irrelevant to the question whether this costs order should be made.”
In interviews, Rik, who grew up in London and rural Jamaica, has explained how his love of music was sparked by hearing his parents sing, naming his dad as an inspiration and a “big reggae fan”.
He has said he never gets tired of playing “It Wasn’t Me,” which brought about a major life change for him.
“I was finally able to silence the detractors who thought I was wasting my life on this music nonsense and I also made my parents very proud,” he told the Jamaica Observer in 2023.
“I was able to travel the world and see places it’s doubtful I would’ve seen otherwise.
“Over two decades later, I still get recognised [and] can’t count the number of pictures I’ve taken and autographs I’ve signed for the nicest strangers you could ever meet. It’s allowed me to basically retire and focus entirely on raising my beautiful family. Eternally grateful for that.”
During the case, Sarah, who said she is now living in poverty in London, said outside court: “I am hurt by the whole thing and I’ve lost my whole family. My dad died, but on the day he died I didn’t think I would end up being in the position I am today, going through all this heartache.
“I don’t have a step-mother anymore. This money would make a great difference in my life, I am on the breadline right now.”