Two men have been convicted of manslaughter by neglecting an elderly relative who died weighing only four-and-a-half stones.
Carlisle Crown Court heard 71-year-old Dorothy Morgan was found in an emaciated, malnourished and dehydrated state when admitted to Whitehaven’s West Cumberland Hospital on January 25 2021.
On that date, Mrs Morgan’s husband, Robert Christopher Morgan, had called a Cumbria Health on Call operator. He claimed his wife had literally tried to starve herself to death over several weeks.
He told a 999 handler his wife had been refusing medical help.
Paramedics responded and administered initial treatment to Mrs Morgan at her Calder Avenue home in Whitehaven. She was emaciated and unkempt, clinically dehydrated and severely malnourished.
Upon Mrs Morgan’s arrival at hospital, she was found to be suffering from acute kidney failure, consistent with extreme dehydration, and sepsis.
She died 10 days later, on February 4 2021.
Further investigations revealed she was also suffering from cancer although that was found to play no part in her death. Her physical condition was such that she could not have withstood any treatment, the court heard.
A pathologist concluded that Mrs Morgan’s death was caused by her severely emaciated state and neglected infected pressure ulcers. A paramedic had noted that some leg sores were so deep that the pensioner’s bones could be seen.
Morgan, 61, and 53-year-old David Holyoak — Mrs Morgan’s son by another man — denied manslaughter by gross negligence.
Prosecutor Iain Simkin KC told jurors that a geriatrician specialising in care for the elderly had concluded the level of Mrs Morgan’s dehydration suggested she had not been given adequate fluid for seven to 10 days.
And, the expert concluded, she would have been drowsy for two to three days before her husband called for help due to her severely dehydrated state.
Mrs Morgan had been immobile for a significant period of time, the court was also told.
Mr Simkin said: “The prosecution case is that these two men, the first defendant, Dorothy Morgan’s husband, Robert Morgan, and her son by another man,
David Holyoak, stood by and allowed — watched, say the prosecution — as the deceased physically deteriorated in her own filth to such a point that even though medical assistance was eventually sought, Dorothy’s physical wellbeing and clinical condition were so bad that, even though she was in hospital, her death was an inevitability.”
Morgan and Holyoak said in evidence they were following Mrs Morgan’s wishes that no medical help be sought.
In a text message to a friend in October 2020, Holyoak said he thought his mother was depressed and malnourished.
“This sounds like you are watching a lady die,” the friend had responded.
When asked by Mr Simkin what provisions there were to ensure Mrs Morgan was cared for, Holyoak replied: “I don’t remember any.” He conceded: “I should have done more.”
Morgan said he believed his mother wouldn’t have accepted help had it been offered sooner, and that she intended to end her life.
A jury of seven men and five women found Morgan guilty of manslaughter, and Holyoak was convicted on a majority verdict of 10 to two after several weeks of often harrowing evidence.
The verdicts followed deliberations of 23 hours and 12 minutes by jurors. Morgan closed his eyes as he was found guilty, while Holyoak bowed his head in the dock as he was convicted.
The case was adjourned for the preparation of pre-sentence reports.
Morgan and Holyoak, both of Calder Avenue, Whitehaven, are due to be sentenced at the crown court on March 25. In the meantime both men were granted bail after submissions by their respective barristers.
Robert Elias, for Holyoak, had said of the two men: “They are not people who organise themselves very well.”
Judge Goddard KC told Morgan and Holyoak: “You will appreciate that that is a very serious offence indeed. It is almost inevitable that there will be an immediate custodial sentence. You must both come to terms with that.”
The judge also praised jurors. “Can I thank you very much for the close attention you have given this case,” she said. “I am sure it has been a difficult few weeks for you, dealing with something of this importance.
