GUILTY UK - Hereford, LIVING WhtMale, ~75, US/Canadian accent, Nov'15 - Roger Curry

[MelmothTheLost]

Why do elderly Americans get abandoned here? I'm not understanding. Why would somebody do that? Wouldn't the OAP just tell the police what had happened? Am I being thick?!

Sorry, perhaps I wasn't clear. The earlier stories were reported in the UK papers but occurred in the US. If this poor chap is indeed American, it's the first case I've heard of where the pensioner was abandoned in the UK. And apparently he has dementia, so cannot communicate with the people looking after him.

As to why people do it, I imagine it has to do with the costs of funding social care in the US, especially for someone with the complex needs of a dementia sufferer.

 

[KaylaraOwl]

The OAP has dementia, he probably can't remember what happened. And I think Melmoth is right. In the U.S., this guy might have basically no chance at decent care. The cost of a plane ticket may seem small in comparison to years of paying for probably way sub-par care.

 

[CoverMeCagney]

Sorry, perhaps I wasn't clear. The earlier stories were reported in the UK papers but occurred in the US. If this poor chap is indeed American, it's the first case I've heard of where the pensioner was abandoned in the UK. And apparently he has dementia, so cannot communicate with the people looking after him.

As to why people do it, I imagine it has to do with the costs of funding social care in the US, especially for someone with the complex needs of a dementia sufferer.

Thanks, that clears it up a bit, still can't believe anyone would just dump a person though, how awful!

He must have very advanced dementia and/or total amnesia. My gran is 93 and has 3 types of dementia (vascular, Alzheimers and Picks) and is completely la-la in a care home, no idea who any of us are. Yet the other day she reeled off the full names and DoB's of all her children and grandchildren along with everyones addresses and telephone numbers from the 1990's. For just a few minutes she was "wired up" again in a very rare moment of lucidity. Anyway, I know every person is different but you'd think this chap would at least question why everyone calls him Roger if it's not his name or mention some sliver of info that could be a clue?

This is a case that probably needs to go viral stateside, a la Grateful Doe.

 

[CoverMeCagney]

The OAP has dementia, he probably can't remember what happened. And I think Melmoth is right. In the U.S., this guy might have basically no chance at decent care. The cost of a plane ticket may seem small in comparison to years of paying for probably way sub-par care.

It scares me that this is going to be an ever increasing problem as people live longer.

I don't want to start a euthanasia debate but I hope our law changes before I get really old, otherwise I'll be getting a one way ticket to Switzerland...

 

[KaylaraOwl]

You could always go to the Netherlands. They allow euthanasia there too, and it's closer by. (My husband is Dutch and we lived there for years before moving back to the states.)

 

[LadyN]

Sky News are now picking up on this story:

http://news.sky.com/story/1657482/global-appeal-over-mystery-man-in-hereford

Detectives have launched an international appeal to help identify a man with a North American accent who was found in a bus station car park in Herefordshire.

 

[dalsglen]

My post #11 was a hunch that he was handed over to the ambulance by a family member, really just based on the dementia. God knows its an awful disease and the strain on family/carers is unbelievable.

 

[MelmothTheLost]

There's an update in this case.

A 50 year old man has been arrested on suspicion of kidnap and released on police bail. The elderly man has not yet been identified but the police still seem to think he's American or Canadian.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...nsioner-dementia-wandering-Hertfordshire.html

 

[dotr]

There's an update in this case.

A 50 year old man has been arrested on suspicion of kidnap and released on police bail. The elderly man has not yet been identified but the police still seem to think he's American or Canadian.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...nsioner-dementia-wandering-Hertfordshire.html

Very strange case, wonder if authorities might be able to release audio of the UID man speaking?

 

[CoverMeCagney]

There's an update in this case.

A 50 year old man has been arrested on suspicion of kidnap and released on police bail. The elderly man has not yet been identified but the police still seem to think he's American or Canadian.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...nsioner-dementia-wandering-Hertfordshire.html

Interesting. Taunton (where the arrested man is from) to Credenhill (where the mystery man was found) is 100 miles.

 

[Donjeta]

From the DM link:

Officers are still working on formally identifying the man but he is thought to be 75-years-old and from the USA.

This sounds to me like they have an idea who he might be but have yet to confirm it officially? (DNA, fingerprints, that sort of thing.)

Edit yeah that's what this is saying too:
http://www.westerndailypress.co.uk/...-Roger-Curry/story-29117517-detail/story.html

[FONT=open_sans]Police in Hereford said they believe they have now identified the man referred to as 'Roger Curry', who appeared in Hereford city centre last November with no ID, and no clue who he was.[/FONT][FONT=open_sans]

Read more: http://www.westerndailypress.co.uk/...tory-29117517-detail/story.html#ixzz45wbgxeCI
Follow us: @WesternDaily on Twitter | WesternDaily on Facebook[/FONT]

 

[Ellmau]

Interesting. Taunton (where the arrested man is from) to Credenhill (where the mystery man was found) is 100 miles.

Presumably in an attempt to escape detection.

"The victim remains happy and content and continues to be cared for by Herefordshire Council," said Sgt Sarah Bennett, who has been leading the enquiries into solving the mystery.

Read more: http://www.westerndailypress.co.uk/...tory-29117517-detail/story.html#ixzz45yuOHsYS
Follow us: @WesternDaily on Twitter | WesternDaily on Facebook

 

[CoverMeCagney]

Presumably in an attempt to escape detection.

Funny isn't it, that our perception of distance is so wildly different to our US and Australian friends - 100 miles would seem relatively "local" to them!

 

[MelmothTheLost]

I wonder what happens to him if they confirm he is American and discover that he has no real link to the UK other than physically being here. Do the local council continue to pay the residential home's fees? Does the US government in some form step up to the plate and pay for his continued care in the UK? Does he get repatriated to be with other family members?

It sounds as though he probably wouldn't necessarily recognise family members anyway. At least he doesn't seem to be distressed or frightened, which is the fate of so many dementia patients.

 

[Ellmau]

If he isn't here legally on a permanent visa of some kind, he could be deported, regardless of whether heh has anywhere to go in the US, which would be a shame as it would cause such disruption for him and he's happy and safe at the moment.

He might have been here years and have settlement, in which case I guess he will stay where he is.

My guess at this stage is that the perpetrator may have done it to steal his money.

 

[pinklilies]

Police have arrested a 50-year-old man on suspicion of kidnapping a mystery American pensioner who was found wandering alone in Herefordshire with no memory and signs of dementia.
An international appeal was launched after the grey-haired man, who could only recall his name as Roger Curry, was found with no ID and unable to say where he was from.
He has been cared for in a nursing home since being discovered outside a bus station in Credenhill on November 7 last year.
West Mercia Police believed at the time the man may have been dumped by his own family in Britain.
The force have now revealed they yesterday arrested a man from Taunton, Somerset who has since been released on bail.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ia-wandering-Hertfordshire.html#ixzz460C4Qdbs

I wish they would have released where they think he was kidnapped from. It leaves me thinking was he kidnapped from the States and brought to the UK or from Taunton itself? Or somewhere else even.
At least he's happy now and settled where he is.

 

[MelmothTheLost]

At least he's happy now and settled where he is.

Indeed, but residential care for those with dementia is not cheap, even in the UK. This is going to cost well over £1,000 a week for as long as he lives.

To put this into context, in most parts of the country the council tax (local services) charge on a typical 3 bedroom house is around £1,500 a year, so his annual care cost to the local council is likely to absorb the entire local taxes of 30+ British families. If he had residency in the UK, his family would be means tested in terms of making a contribution to that cost, but the council would have to pay the remainder. If his family are in Somerset, that is the local authority which should be dealing with this whereas it sounds as though the burden is currently falling on Herefordshire's CT payers.

One thing about all this is that since he is not capable of managing his affairs and his family seems to have abandoned him, he is likely to be made a ward of the Court of Protection (https://www.gov.uk/courts-tribunals/court-of-protection) which will safeguard his interests while he remains in the UK.

 

[MelmothTheLost]

I've not seen anything further about this case since April. Presumably nobody else has either or no doubt they would have posted an update. I'd love to know who he is and who dumped him and why.

 

[MelmothTheLost]

He's been identified - he is indeed Roger Curry who was the victim of an international granny-dumping by his American family. It sounds as though his son was the prime mover in his abandonment.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4170010/Wife-son-dumped-American-dementia-sufferer-UK.html

Note for Brits - Panorama will be featuring the case on TV tonight.

 

[MelmothTheLost]

This from the Mail article is interesting:

However, the clue to his identity came following a police appeal on BBC Midlands in March last year.

After watching the news report, viewer Debbie Cocker searched the internet and found an old picture that looked like a younger version of the unidentified man.

The photo came from a 1958 yearbook for Edmonds High School in Washington State and it showed an 18-year-old student called Roger Curry.

Yay for amateurs!

Is Debbie one of us?