Dementia patient found wandering in the freezing night ten miles from home after carer 'forgot' about him

A confused old man was found wandering in the cold ten miles from home after his council carer forgot all about him. Ernest Hignett, 73, was discovered shivering with his clothes soaking wet near a rural farm after he went missing from his flat in an inner city district of Manchester. The pensioner who suffers from dementia and diabetes and lived alone in sheltered accommodation should have been checked on a daily basis to be given his medication and usually wore an electronic tracking device if went for a walkabout.

Council carer Trevor Williams forgot about dementia sufferer Ernest Hignett who then wandered off and was found wandering in the cold ten miles from home. Williams admitted a neglect charge and was given a suspended jail term

But council carer Trevor Williams, 57, failed to turn up to look after the old man who then wandered off into the night having earlier said he wanted to visit a local day care centre. Williams eventually arrived at Mr Hignett’s home the following morning over 12 hours late only to find the old man was gone. Instead of alerting police he tried to cover up his mistake by leaving a note at his sheltered flat saying: 'given him his meds.' He then went on to lie further, writing he had even taken Mr Hignett for a drive and made him tea.

Police were called in and staged a manhunt for Mr Hignett after another carer who arrived at Mr Hignett’s home and reported him as missing. The hunt was called off a few hours later when staff from Tameside General Hospital in Ashton-under-Lyne called to say he had been admitted after being found by members of the public at Kershaw Hey Farm in Mossley. It emerged the old man had been found cold and wet and laying down on the ground and was rushed to hospital in a confused state. He’s so bewildered he was unable to say how he got there or where he lived. It is not known how he got to the farm. He has since moved into a care home.

 

Tameside General Hospital in Ashton-under-Lyne, where Mr Hignett was admitted after being found by members of the public at Kershaw Hey Farm in Mossley

Details of the blunder emerged as Williams, from Swinton, near Salford, admitted a charge of ill treatment by neglect and was sentenced to a six month suspended sentence, a 12 month community order and 18 hours unpaid work. He has lost his job since the incident. Manchester Crown Court was told Williams who worked for Manchester social services had started looking after Mr Hignett in August last year. The old man who lived in Moss Side relied on the care of Williams to help him get up and dressed, make meals as well as give him his medication, due to his severe confusion and tendency to wander off. Manchester Crown Court heard that Williams - who Mr Hignett had classed as a friend was paid by social services for his 18.5 hours per week working in his home and taking the elderly man out.

Williams, from Swinton, near Salford, admitted a charge of ill treatment by neglect and was sentenced to a six month suspended sentence, a 12 month community order and 18 hours unpaid work

Prosecuting Miss Lindsay Thomas said: 'Mr Hignett had a history of wandering about in a confused state and so he was provided with a tracker. 'Trevor Williams looked after him for 18.5 hours per week and saw him three hours in the evenings of Tuesdays, Thursday and Friday and was with him 30 minutes on a Saturday evening and from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Sunday. 'The incident occurred when Williams was due to visit Mr Hignett over the weekend of April 7th and 8th this year. Miss Thomas said: 'On Saturday, another carer had been with Mr Hignett. At about 5pm. before she left Mr Hignett, he said he wanted to go to the Cornerstone Day Centre in Mosside but was told that it would be closed. She left and informed that she was going to be on holiday and arranged for another person to attend.'

On Monday the carer arrived but Mr Hignett was not there, his bed was made and his curtains were not drawn. His tracker was in the kitchen on charge and she also noticed that his medication was missing for both 7th and 8th April. Miss Thomas said: 'The form had been completed by the defendant and read ‘given him his meds’ and another, ’ Ernie was out, he was back later, I was up and down Cornerstone looking for him, we went for a drive, got back made something to eat then gave him meds’.'.

 

Mr Hignett, 73, was discovered near a rural farm after he went missing from his flat in an inner city district of Manchester

The police were alerted on Monday that Mr Hignett was missing and could not be found and was declared a missing person. But later a social worker rang police to say the old man was in hospital having been admitted the previous day after being found by members of the public near a farm. Miss Thomas added: 'He was pale and cold, his clothes were wet and he was lying on the ground for an amount of time. He appeared confused and did not know how he got there and did not know where he lived.' Williams was arrested and confessed to police that on the Saturday evening he did not go because he had 'forgotten.' He said that the following day he attended the home at 9 am. but Mr Hignett was not there and rang his friends who also had not seen him. Williams took the pensioner’s tablets and went out looking for Mr Hignett but could not find him, adding that he failed to call the police because he was 'scared to tell the truth'.

In mitigation, defence Mr Martin Callery said: 'This was an isolated incident. Fortunately no significant injury came to him although he was found by himself and some considerable distance from his house. 'Clearly he was in a poor condition. He was living alone but has not suffered any on-going harm or physical harm. It is neglect but over a very short time over the course of the weekend when he should have visited Mr Hignett.' The court heard Williams was suspended and later lost his job. Passing sentence the judge Mr Justice David Mackay: 'It is a very sad thing to see you here at your age, a man of good character who had won good opinion from people you worked with. 'I do not know what went wrong with you that day but you did neglect that elderly gentleman and put him at significant risk. He was found a long way away, cold and confused. This was a serious breach of obligation and worthy of a prison sentence but because of you good character and for the reasons argued by your counsel I feel able to suspend the sentence.'

Source: Daily Mail UK

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