Manslaughter case against care-home resident drops after death of accused
LONDON: Prosecution of a 79-year-old man who was involved in a scuffle with a fellow resident at a care facility will be closed after the accused died due to unrelated causes.
An 85-year-old resident of Heritage Lifecare died in hospital in December last year after he was involved in an incident with another resident at the unit.
It is understood the two men were involved in a scuffle before the victim fell to the ground, knocking his head.
The accused was charged in February this year of manslaughter in relation to the incident.
However, the accused died in a hospital in Christchurch in March before he could appear in court.
The High Court registry at Christchurch confirmed the case will officially be closed after the death of the defendant.
The defendant’s and the deceased’s names have both been permanently suppressed.
At the time of the incident, Heritage Lifecare chief executive Norah Barlow said deceased’s death was an “extremely sad and tragic situation”.
Barlow described managing residents with dementia as “extremely complex and challenging”.
