Court of Protection solicitor convicted of neglect following elderly mother’s death – Legal Futures

‘An associate in a law firm’s Court of Protection team has been convicted of the wilful neglect of her own elderly mother, who died in squalor despite the solicitor having power of attorney to act on her behalf.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 3rd April 2018

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Hart v Hart: what led the court to order the ultimate sanction? – Family Law

Posted March 26th, 2018 in contempt of court, divorce, elderly, financial provision, imprisonment, news by tracey

‘Anyone reading that John Hart, an 83-year-old man with prostate cancer, had been sent to prison by a High Court judge might naturally raise an eye-brow in surprise. However, HHJ Wildblood QC did just that following judgments at [2018] EWHC 548 (Fam), [2018] EWHC 549 (Fam) and dated 23 February and 18 March 2018 respectively. These decisions are the latest in the long-running saga in the Hart v Hart divorce which has now been ongoing in various guises for some six and a half years.’

Full Story

Family Law, 23rd March 2018

Source: www.familylaw.co.uk

Government commits to protect people with dementia and learning difficulties – Law Commission

Posted March 16th, 2018 in elderly, learning difficulties, mental health, press releases by tracey

‘The government has said it will bring forward legislation to provide greater protection for some of the most vulnerable people in our society. In a Written Ministerial Statement Health Minister Caroline Dinenage said the government broadly agreed with the Liberty Protection Safeguards model proposed by the Law Commission in 2017 and would legislate “when parliamentary time allows”.’

Full press release

Law Commission, 15th March 2018

Source: www.lawcom.gov.uk/

Millionaire jailed for contempt of court over divorce deal – The Guardian

Posted March 16th, 2018 in contempt of court, divorce, elderly, news by tracey

‘A wealthy property developer has been jailed for 14 months for contempt of court in relation to his divorce settlement.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 15th March 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

Considerations for care homes on the charging of fees after death – Family Law

Posted March 8th, 2018 in care homes, competition, consultations, elderly, fees, news by tracey

‘In the first of a regular Solicitors for the Elderly (SFE) column for Family Law Claire Davis, Director of SFE, considers the issue of care homes charging fees after death.’

Full Story

Family Law, 5th March 2018

Source: www.familylaw.co.uk

Calls for inquiry over financial abuse of vulnerable care home residents as figures show 13,000 have been affected – Daily Telegraph

Posted February 19th, 2018 in care homes, elderly, freedom of information, inquiries, news, powers of attorney by sally

‘Care home managers reported almost 13,000 concerns that vulnerable residents were experiencing financial abuse in the past four years, new figures show.’

Full Story

Daily Telegraph, 17th February 2018

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

West Yorkshire Police liable for knocking over elderly woman – BBC News

Posted February 9th, 2018 in elderly, negligence, news, police by tracey

‘An elderly woman who was knocked to the ground during a drug arrest has won a decade-long legal battle against West Yorkshire Police.’

Full Story

BBC News, 8th February 2018

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

More than 30,000 instances of abuse in sheltered housing over last three years, finds investigation – The Independent

Posted January 24th, 2018 in assault, care workers, disabled persons, elderly, news, statistics by tracey

‘More than 30,000 instances of abuse have taken place in sheltered housing against elderly or disabled people over the last three years, a BBC File on Four investigation has revealed.’

Full Story

The Independent, 23rd January 2018

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Family win five-figure sum after Grandmother choked to death on egg sandwich -Daily Telegraph

Posted January 5th, 2018 in compensation, elderly, hospitals, inquests, news by tracey

‘The family of a grandmother who died in hospital after choking on an egg sandwich have received a five-figure payout. Lilian Hugill, who had previously survived cancer, was admitted to York Hospital with a bladder infection, but later died after staff wrongly gave her the sandwich rather than soft food.’

Full Story

Daily Telegraph, 5th January 2018

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Preventing elderly financial abuse – Family Law

Posted December 18th, 2017 in elderly, families, news, powers of attorney by sally

‘There shouldn’t be anything suspicious about a young man accompanying his aunt to see her solicitor. Frail or elderly people often seek the assistance of family members when making important decisions. Most of the time, there is indeed no concern, just a caring relative looking after a loved one. But there is a growing sense among private client practitioners that financial elderly abuse is on the rise, and an overly protective nephew could be a sign that the situation is perhaps not as straightforward as it seems.’

Full Story

Family Law, 14th December 2017

Source: www.familylaw.co.uk

Evidence of children and vulnerable witnesses: Part 2 – Family Law

Posted December 13th, 2017 in children, elderly, mental health, news, witnesses by sally

‘The first article in this series of two dealt with circumstances where particular arrangements might be appropriate for children and vulnerable as witnesses in family proceedings. This article looks at the type of measure which the court can provide for such witnesses; and at how these measures are dealt with in common law and under statutory provision. As mentioned at the end of this article, the funding of assessment for, and thus the effective operation of, such measures is not something the Lord Chancellor and his Ministry of Justice seems fully – or at all? – to have put their minds to.’

Full Story

Family Law, 12th December 2017

Source: www.familylaw.co.uk

Birmingham Six: Calls for end to ‘double injustice’ – BBC News

Posted December 7th, 2017 in disclosure, elderly, explosives, miscarriage of justice, news, terrorism by sally

‘Two men who were wrongly convicted of carrying out the Birmingham pub bombings in 1974 have supported calls for the alleged bombers to be named publicly to end a “double injustice”.’

Full Story

BBC News, 6th December 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Family of woman facing deportation after 50 years in UK demand apology – The Guardian

Posted November 30th, 2017 in deportation, detention, elderly, immigration, news by tracey

‘The family of a grandmother who was sent to an immigration detention centre and threatened with deportation to Jamaica, a country she left 50 years ago when she was 10, has called on the Home Office to apologise for the treatment she has received. The case of Paulette Wilson, 61, who was detained for a week at Yarl’s Wood immigration detention centre last month, has focused attention on other UK residents, now retired, who have lived in Britain since they were in primary school, who are being pursued by the Home Office. Most had no idea that there was anything wrong with their immigration status.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 29th November 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

Prisons struggling to cope with geriatric inmates – Daily Telegraph

Posted November 29th, 2017 in elderly, news, prisons by sally

‘Prisons are struggling to cope with the soaring population of geriatric inmates, it has emerged.’

Full Story

Daily Telegraph, 28th November 2017

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Continuation of Life-Sustaining Treatment not in Mrs P’s Best Interests – ASCERTAINING WHAT THE PATIENT WOULD HAVE WANTED – Garden Court Chambers

Posted November 23rd, 2017 in elderly, hospitals, medical treatment, news by sally

‘The Trust applied for a declaration that it was in Mrs P’s best interests to receive clinically assisted nutrition and hydration (CANH) by way of a gastric feeding tube. Following a fall, Mrs P, aged 72 years, went to hospital without telling her family. Her condition deteriorated and she fell into a minimally conscious state. A dispute arose as to whether CANH should be continued between her sisters who wanted treatment to be maintained and her partner and daughters who did not.’

Full Story

Garden Court Chambers, 10th November 2017

Source: www.gardencourtchambers.co.uk

Woman jailed for manslaughter after ‘gross neglect’ of her 91-year-old grandmother – The Independent

Posted November 15th, 2017 in elderly, families, grandparents, homicide, negligence, news by tracey

‘A woman has been jailed for three years for the manslaughter of her 91-year-old grandmother, who had been in need of “urgent medical attention”.’

Full Story

The Independent, 14th November 2017

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Council wins appeal over residential care payments and revenue streams – Local Government Lawyer

Posted October 24th, 2017 in appeals, care homes, elderly, fees, local government, news by sally

‘The Court of Appeal has allowed a council’s appeal over whether it could lawfully take into account three revenue streams – private fees, top up payments and NHS payments – when making an evaluative judgement of what it would expect to pay for residential care for the elderly.’

Full Story

Local Government Lawyer, 23rd October 2017

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Paedophile aged 102 sentenced for abusing five-year-old girl in the 1970s – The Independent

Posted September 12th, 2017 in compensation, costs, elderly, news, sentencing, sexual offences, suspended sentences, victims by tracey

‘A 102-year-old man has been sentenced for sexually abusing a young girl from the age of five in the 1970s. A judge suspended Douglas Hammersley’s two-year prison sentence but ordered him to pay his victim £25,000 compensation within 21 days.’

Full Story

The Independent, 11th September 2017

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Law reform could cause more challenges to wills – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted July 19th, 2017 in consultations, elderly, Law Commission, legislation, news, solicitors, wills by sally

‘National organisation Solicitors for the Elderly has raised concerns at proposals to overhaul the laws governing will writing claiming, saying reform will result in more court action.’

Full Story

Law Society's Gazette, 17th July 2017

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Burglar who targeted the elderly jailed for longer – Attorney General’s Office

Posted July 13th, 2017 in appeals, burglary, elderly, news, press releases, sentencing, theft by tracey

‘A burglar who targeted the elderly has sentence increased to 7 years and 6 months following ULS referral.’

Full Story

Attorney General's Office, 7th July 2017

Source: www.gov.uk