A grandma love with a difference of 56 years has made the Australian people boil.
Soeson, from Estonia, fell in love with his step-grandmother, Riit, for 10 years until Riit's death this year.
Soeson has applied for Australian permanent residence visas many times, which has made the relationship between the two questioned by the Australian Immigration Department.
The court asked Soeson to prove an intimate relationship with Riit, including a sexual relationship. But Soeson said the two had only a mental dependence on each other.
In May, the next hearing will go ahead as normal, will Soeson go or stay?
Last Saturday, a 104-year-old woman passed away peacefully in a nursing home in Sydney's west. Beside her, a 48-year-old grandchild was saddened.
This man is not only the grandchild of the old woman, but also her lover. He had planned to marry her on the last leg of her life, but he couldn't wait for that moment.
Public opinion is flooding in. The 48-year-old man has been under suspicion from all walks of life in Australia, and it is believed that he used his status as an elderly woman in order to obtain an Australian visa.
And he said that he and the old woman really loved each other, "Our hearts grew closer and closer, until we fell in love completely." ”
Australians have come up with a trick for this, it's okay to fall in love, please prove that you have sex......
图源：Daily Mail
The 104-year-old man died in a nursing home, and grandma love once again sparked heated discussions
Elfriede Riit died peacefully at the age of 104 at a nursing home in western Sydney on Saturday, April 13, 2024. Her stepgrandchild, 48-year-old Mart Soeson, held a memorial service for her.
The two are not only a step-grandmother and step-grandson, but also a pair of lovers who have been in love for 10 years.
The age difference of 56 years has made the relationship a sensation in Australia, and Soeson said that he and Riit are truly in love, across ages and generations.
Previously, it was reported that Soeson was planning to hold a wedding with Riit, but all walks of life in Australia believed that the man was "cheating on marriage" in order to obtain Australian status. Now, the marriage is still unfinished, and Riit has passed away.
Will this legend become a good story, or a cold case in the USCIS filing cabinet?
Reed(左)和Susan(右). 图源:Daily Mail
The relationship between Soeson and Riit looks complicated, but it's also simple to say. Riit is the second wife of Soeson's grandfather and his step-grandmother.
Soeson is in love with his step-grandmother and intends to marry her. In this way, he became the grandson of his grandfather, and then the second husband of his grandmother, and then the descendant of his grandfather, and he became his own uncle.
Riit was born in Estonia in 1920. At marriageable age, she married a man named Alfred and became his second wife. Soeson is Alfred's own grandson.
Simple happiness didn't last long, and World War II broke out. The Soviet army targeted Estonia, and when Estonia was about to be annexed by the Soviet Union, Riit and her husband Alfred fled to Sydney.
Soeson, on the other hand, stayed in Estonia with his parents.
37的Reed,摄于1957年. 图源:Daily Mail
When Alfred died in Sydney in 1987, Riit did not look for twilight love and lived alone.
In 1996, when Soeson, who was still in Estonia at the time, went to Australia to study advanced English, Riit learned about it and invited her step-grandson to stay at her home in Bankstown, and her life changed from then on.
According to Soeson, he and Riit didn't fall in love at first sight and that "feelings don't happen overnight".
Riit still misses Alfred in her heart, and she more or less pins this deep affection on Alfred's own grandson, Soeson.
图源：Daily Mail
In 2000, Soeson returned to Estonia after completing his studies. Since then, he has often written to Riit, who is single in Sydney, concerned about his stepgrandmother's life and reminding her to pay attention to her body.
During 2000~2007, Soeson traveled to Sydney several times to visit Riit, and according to him, the relationship between the two has gradually deepened since then.
In an affidavit, Soeson said: "I returned from a trip to Austria in 2007 and I couldn't shake the feeling that something seemed to be missing something in my life, and that was Riit. ”
"Our hearts grew closer and closer until we fell in love completely. ”
Since then, Soeson and Riit have expressed their affection for each other and have the courage to keep their relationship going.
图源：Daily Mail
It wasn't until January 2013 that Riit, then 93, and Soeson, 37, formalized their relationship, and Soeson said he gave Riit an "exclusive long-term commitment".
"I had a healthy relationship with my late grandfather's widow (Riit) at first, but it slowly turned into a very meaningful and loving relationship. ”
"When I really felt how happy she made me, my resistance became meaningless. ”
Susan帮Reed庆祝100岁生日. 图源:Daily Mail
In 2018, Soeson, a lawyer, gave up his career in Estonia. According to him, in September of that year, the 43-year-old and 99-year-old Rita entered into a live-in relationship and lived at Riit's home in Bankstown.
"Riit was totally in love with me and I felt the same way about her. ”
In Riit's residence, the two spent 4 years of their love life. By 2022, Riit's health had taken a turn for the worse and she had to move out of her home to an aged care facility in Western Sydney on her doctor's behest.
Staff at the care facility recalled that Soeson would visit Riit regularly to bring her favorite foods, including chocolate and some berries. The two also attend concerts and church services together, watch TV together, go out for coffee with friends, and go to follow-up appointments together.
Since then, this 56-year-old grandma love has entered the field of vision of the Australian people and caused controversy.
图源：Daily Mail
Soeson's application for permanent residence in Australia caused controversy,
The authorities demanded proof of sexual life
According to Australian media reports, Soeson has been trying to apply for a permanent residence visa (PR) in Australia, which makes the Australian public suspect the purpose of Soeson and Riit's relationship.
图源：Daily Mail
Since 2016, Soeson began to apply for a permanent residence visa with the Australian Immigration Department, but was rejected by the Immigration Department, and Soeson only got a temporary residence visa.
Soeson has always disputed this, arguing that he and Riit were in a relationship in 2013 and have since become a "de facto spouse". However, the Australian Immigration Department has always considered the relationship between Soeson and Riit to be suspicious and rejected Soeson's application for permanent residence.
In December 2018, Soeson, whose application for permanent leave to remain was again denied, appealed the matter to court, according to the Daily Mail. The court said Soeson had to prove that his relationship with Riit was legitimate.
In February 2024, during a three-hour hearing, the court kept asking about the nature of Soeson and Riit's relationship and what they meant to each other.
The court questioned whether the two had never had sexual relations.
Source: News
In response, Soeson said that the two did not actually share a bed and never had sex. But he insisted that the 56-year difference doesn't stop the two from genuinely loving each other, "yes, I know there's an age gap between us, and I know it's a problem for some people." ”
"Generally speaking, it's a problem for women to be older than men, and it's not a problem for men to be older than women. I can't accept this attitude. ”
At the hearing in January 2024, Riit appeared in court in a wheelchair, but due to physical reasons, she was unable to participate in the proceedings that followed. "It's a private matter for her, and she doesn't want to get too much attention," Soeson said. ”
On the same day, tribunal member David Barker said that Soeson and Riit were not required by law to have sex in order to recognize their relationship, but asking about the matter could help investigate the case.
Soeson admitted in court that "yes, [we] didn't [have sex] and that our intimacy was limited to holding hands, hugging, kissing." We are spiritually connected. ”
Soeson also said that they had never lived in the same bedroom because of Riit's loud snoring, but that didn't stop them from loving each other.
图源：Daily Mail
Barker questioned Soeson when he flew to Australia to visit Riit in October 2013, and his reason for entering the country was to "visit his grandmother" rather than something like "to visit his spouse".
Soeson explained, "I'm afraid of being discriminated against, and maybe that's why. We've had that experience. ”
He also said, "I didn't see her as my grandmother, and I never called her 'grandma,' and I didn't have a grandson-grandmother relationship." ”
According to Soeson, it was Riit who first expressed his love to him, and it just so happened that the feeling was mutual. "She has said many times that she wants someone to be there for her. She was a widow and she often felt lonely and helpless. ”
图源：Daily Mail
In April 2024, when Riit learns that her deadline is approaching, she calls Soeson to her side and says goodbye to him, before crossing her hands over her chest and leaving peacefully.
Soeson didn't make time to get married to Riit, and instead, the red affair turned white. He worked hard to apply for a permanent residence visa for eight years, and there will be no legal basis for this.
It is reported that Riit suffered from Alzheimer's disease before his death, accompanied by depression and bipolar disorder, as well as visual and hearing impairments.
At the January hearing, when Riit was asked if she wanted Soeson to be deported to Estonia, she shouted "no".
At the moment, the controversy over the relationship does not end with the death of Riit.
In May, the next hearing went ahead as usual, and it was unclear what impact Riit's death would have on Soeson's stay.
Source: Sky News
A grandma love affair with a difference of 56 years is raging in Australia.
Soeson and step-grandmother Riit both fell in love and lived together for 10 years until Riit died in April this year.
This relationship has been questioned because Soeson has applied for permanent residence several times,
The Australian authorities believe that Soeson may use Riit to obtain permanent residency in Australia.
图源：Daily Mail
In order to prove the intimacy between Soeson and Riit, the Australian court asked Soeson to prove that he and Riit had sex, but Soeson denied it.
Soeson said the relationship between the two was one of spiritual interdependence rather than physical entanglement.
In May this year, the next hearing will be held as usual, and the question of Soeson's stay in Australia may be decided.