Latest news with #elderlyabuse
The Herald
7 days ago
- The Herald
Attempted murder charge under investigation in gross elder abuse case
Six staff members are in custody after an elderly woman at an assisted living facility in Dagbreek, Welkom, was found tied with duct tape and left without basic care. The 81-year-old woman allegedly refused to take medication from staff on Monday last week, said Free State police spokesperson Sgt Palesa Thabana. A visitor saw blood and injuries on the victim's face, hands and arms. She was also 'discovered to be under extremely wet and cold conditions'. Police were alerted. 'Investigations revealed how the victim's hands and neck were tied with duct tape and her face covered. Police confiscated a roll of duct tape and pieces of tape with traces of blood,' said Tabana. Four female suspects aged between 35 and 73 were arrested on July 9. They are charged with attempted murder, assault with the intent to cause grievous bodily harm, kidnapping and contravening the Older Persons Act. Further investigations led to the arrests of two other women aged 30 and 33 on Monday. They are charged with assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and contravening the Older Persons Act. They are applying for bail in the Welkom magistrate's court on Wednesday. The Association for the Aged operates a national toll free helpline to report elder abuse. The number is 0800 10 111 0. TimesLIVE
The Sun
11-07-2025
- The Sun
Niece swindled aunt and uncle out of £150k life savings to splash out on 5* hotel stays and swish designer clothes
A NIECE swindled her elderly aunt and uncle out of their £150,000 life savings to fund her lavish lifestyle. Lucy Paginton funded luxury holidays and trips to five star hotels using money she had pilfered from relatives Frank Hillier, 88, and Mary, 90. 4 4 The 28-year-old, of Newport, South Wales, was raised by the couple "like a daughter" since the age of two. Cardiff Crown Court heard they spoiled her throughout her life, forking out on holidays, buying her gifts and leasing cars on her behalf. Pensioner Mrs Hillier told how both her and her husband had become "unwell" dealing with the stress and upset after the shocking betrayal. The mum-of-one spent time at the five-star Celtic Manor resort in Newport and funded trips to high-end designer store Flannels. In 2017, Paginton asked her aunt and uncle for their help to buy a house. But rather than using the money to put down a deposit, she kept the money they had given her. To continue her deception, Paginton then forged several documents including correspondence from Halifax bank and Redrow house builders. Prosecutor Thomas Stanway told the court: "A plan was agreed that they would pay the deposits for two properties. "Paginton would live in one house and her aunt and uncle in the other. "The property the Hilliers lived in would then pass over to her after they had died. "When one considers Miss Paginton's bank statements one can see that in effect the payments were simply made to fund her lifestyle. "There were visits to the Celtic Manor Resort, payments to Flannels, a high-end designer clothing shop. My disabled mum said she was in love with US soldier but she'd actually given conman £169k - she's one of 1,000s of Brits being targeted "There were also payments to various travel companies noted within her bank statements." In a victim impact statement, Mrs Hillier told how the betrayal had hurt more because the couple had showed Paginton "so much love". She said: "It hurts because she lied to us and we showed her so much love, gave her holidays, money and she never went without. "We were willing to buy her a house but she decided to steal from us instead. "It's affected my mental health and my husband's physical and mental health. "Every night going to bed I find it difficult to sleep and we're constantly worried about the case. "The stress of it all has made us unwell." The court heard she had gained £150,555 from her fraud. 4 But at a Proceeds of Crime hearing, Paginton was ordered to pay just £1 because she had no available assets. Mrs Hillier explained that the couple made sure their niece didn't get away with her crimes, but insisted they still loved her. She added: "We have lost everything we have worked hard for and family have distanced themselves from us. "We couldn't let her get away with this and can't believe she did this. "We still love the defendant but she hurt us and broke our trust. "We hope to get justice from this case and make Lucy realise the consequences of her actions. She was jailed for four years and eight months in January after pleading guilty to seven counts of fraud at Newport Crown Court. During her sentencing, Judge Carl Harrison said: "Your victims thought highly of you, they trusted you and they loved you. "It was that love and trust that led them to falling victim to your repeated dishonest behaviour. "For four years you cynically and repeatedly abused the trust that Frank and Mary Hillier placed in you to enrich yourself and defraud them. "They described it as being a living hell. They are an elderly couple who should be looking forward to their future. "Their lives have been ruined by your selfish actions." 4
BBC News
11-07-2025
- BBC News
'Nurse who drugged my mum could be released early'
The son of an elderly woman who was drugged by a nurse for an "easy shift" has said he is "distressed" to learn the perpetrator could be released from prison Hudson was jailed for seven years and two months for giving nonprescribed sedatives to two patients and conspiring to drug a third at Blackpool Victoria Hospital in 2017 and 2018. Brian Scott, whose mother Aileen Scott - now 77 - was one of the victims, said to hear Hudson could be released after only 19 months was "unacceptable".The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said prisoners were only eligible for a home detention curfew, also known as an electronic tag, if they had been risk-assessed and had 12 months or less left before their conditional release date. Under changes brought into force in September, some prisoners can be released after serving only 40% of their sentence in prison rather than 50%.The changes were implemented to free up capacity in prisons in England and Wales due to overcrowding. Mrs Scott, from Glasgow, had suffered a stroke while on holiday in Blackpool and was taken to the hospital for treatment when she was targeted. Evidence during the trial highlighted the "dysfunctional" drugs regime on the stroke ward with free and easy access to controlled drugs and medication which led to "wholesale theft" by was described as a "culture of abuse" after police examined WhatsApp phone messages between Hudson and other members of wrote about one of her victims: "I sedated one of them to within an inch of her life lol. Bet she's flat for a week haha xxx."The next evening, Hudson said in a message: "If bed five starts he will [be] getting sedated to hell..."I'll get [you] the [antibiotic] xxx." Mr Scott said: "It's really, really poor and distasteful to hear that [Hudson] has even been allowed to go forward for early release."The judge was very, very clear during the sentencing that she would spend at least half of that sentence in custody and then would be considered for release on licence."There's no punishment there, there's no justice if that's the case. And it also makes a mockery, I believe, of the sentence that was applied."Mr Scott said a change in legislation was needed, adding his heartache had been compounded by his mother's current deteriorating health."I'm trying to move on. My mum is very unwell, sadly approaching the end of her life, and to hear that Catherine Hudson is trying to get out of prison is unacceptable," he said if Hudson was released early then it would suggest "the criminal justice system in this country... is on the side of the perpetrators, not on the side of the victims"."She may be acting as a model prisoner but it doesn't justify what she did and she put public confidence in the NHS in jeopardy." June Westhead was admitted to the hospital in February 2017 after suffering a minor stroke, spending three months in hospital. Her daughter described what happened to her mother, who died in December 2017 at the age of 80, as "horrendous," adding she believed she was targeted after she complained about her care."[Hudson] never actually said sorry for anything she's done," she said."She just laughed all the way through when she was getting sentenced, which I thought was terrible, absolutely terrible."Mrs Cheetham said she had been told by the probation services that it was a "done deal" that Hudson would be released early."I was told it was because she's been a model prisoner and she's no threat to people outside," she said. "It's just terrible that they're letting her out and I could maybe bump into her in the street. It's not right."I'm totally disgusted with the judicial system for the heinous crime that [she's] committed. She's only been in 19 months and she's getting out." Both Mrs Cheetham and Mr Scott said they would like to meet the Justice Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, over the decision to release some prisoners after serving less than half their sentences in prison. The MoJ said anyone released under the home detention curfew must follow strict rules and was always monitored electronically during their curfew. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on Sounds and follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
The Sun
28-05-2025
- Health
- The Sun
Cops CLEARED of assault after video showed them pepper-spray & Taser amputee, 92, who died 3 weeks later
TWO cops have been cleared of assault after they pepper-sprayed and Tasered a 92-year-old amputee who died weeks later. Bodycam footage showed Donald Burgess screaming out during the horror at Park Beck Residential Care Home in St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex. 8 8 8 PC Rachel Comotto and PC Stephen Smith were called to the residence after Donald poked a worker in the stomach with a butter knife. Smith claimed he did not know the one-legged pensioner was disabled - despite him sitting in a wheelchair - while Comotto denied she was "trigger-happy". The pair have now been found cleared of assault occasioning actual bodily harm following a trial. Southwark Crown Court heard one minute and 23 seconds elapsed between the cops arriving and Donald being Tasered. Bodycam showed him clutching a specially adapted butter knife while sat in his wheelchair when Smith and Comotto entered his room. PC Smith can be heard saying: 'Put it down mate. Come on, Donald, don't be silly. "We can solve it without having to resort to as you're told." He then "emptied all or almost all of his canister" of pepper spray in Donald's face, the court was told. The footage also showed Smith making his way towards the pensioner with his baton extended before striking him. Comotto then deploys her 50,000-volt Taser as Donald screams out in pain before the officers took the knife from him. After shooting him, PC Comotto asked Donald how he was feeling, leading him to reply: "I'm dying, I'm dying." The officers were later seen joking about the shocking incident, jurors heard. 8 8 8 In separate bodycam, Comotto is seen laughing and asking Smith: "Oh my God, is there any left in your can?" Smith replies: "Probably not." The court heard Donald suffered from multiple health conditions including diabetes and carotid artery disease. He was taken to hospital after the incident and died 22 days later after contracting Covid. The court was told the pair were "not responsible for his death". Police had been called to the care home on June 21, 2022, after Donald was seen poking a care worker in the stomach with a knife after flicking food at her. He threatened staff with the blade and told them he would take pleasure in murdering them. Managers wheeled him back to his room and tried for 30 minutes to calm him down before calling 999. The officers were dispatched under a grade one call, meaning it was treated as the highest level of emergency. Jurors were told the care home specialised in support for people with dementia but Donald had not been diagnosed with the disease. Prosecutor Paul Jarvis KC said it "ought to have been obvious by the fact he had one leg that this was a man who wasn't going to be mobile". He added: "This was an elderly, vulnerable man who may not have understood what was going on. "Rather than being met with understanding and sympathy, he was confronted by irritation and annoyance on the part of the defendants." But in their defence, the officers claimed Donald was clutching the knife with a "tight grip". Smith also said he only realised the pensioner was in a wheelchair after he was wheeled out following the incident. He denied two counts of assault by using Pava spray and a baton, while Comotto denied one charge of assault by discharging her Taser. 8 8
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Southern California woman stole over $2.2 million from elderly victims; spent money on luxury cars, homes
A California woman was sentenced to prison for stealing over $2.2 million from elderly victims. Julie Anne Darrah, 52, was an investment adviser who used her position to target elderly clients at her firm, including some who were receiving end-of-life care, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Darrah stole the funds by gaining control of her client's assets and, without their knowledge, liquidated their security holdings and transferred the proceeds to accounts under her control. She convinced the victims to sign documents that gave her power over their accounts including being made the trustee of their trusts, added as a signatory on their bank accounts or gaining power of attorney over their brokerage accounts. As their investment advisor, Darrah could freely transfer their money to other bank accounts, including some that she owned, court documents said. Prosecutors said Darrah took advantage of the trust her victims placed in her, often convincing them she would take care of them in their older years like a daughter. 'She used this trust to convince them to sign the documents that she then used to steal money from them,' court documents said. From around November 2016 to July 2023, Darrah stole approximately $2.25 million through this scheme. She used the money to purchase luxury vehicles, properties, pay personal expenses and operate other business ventures. Prosecutors said some of her victims were left in desperate circumstances, without the money to pay for end-of-life care, when the fraud was discovered. 'She had also convinced a company identified in the plea agreement as 'Business Victim 1,' a Minnesota-based investment advisor firm, to acquire VFM based on false and misleading statements and the concealment of material facts, including not telling that firm about her theft of individual client funds,' court documents said. 'After the fraud was discovered, Business Victim 1 incurred approximately $5.4 million in losses.' In October 2023, the SEC filed a civil complaint against Darrah in connection with the scheme. In December 2024, Darrah was found liable to pay $2,416,511, including interest. On March 4, she pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. On May 19, she was sentenced to 121 months in federal prison for her crimes. Anyone aged 60 and older who may have been a victim or knows someone who has been a victim of financial fraud can call the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-372-8311. 'Reporting can help authorities identify those who commit fraud and reporting certain financial losses due to fraud as soon as possible can increase the likelihood of recovering losses,' the U.S. Attorney's Office said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
