Hello
My name is Sharon McConnell. Will you help me and my family with the financial means so that we can fight for justice on behalf of the vulnerable and those with no voice, to take this matter further and be able to take our case to the law courts?
We have a mountain of evidence and want to be able to take this to the courts. Please take a few moments to read the reports available (links below) and help us to stop people such as Marson Court and the Leicester Local Authority from failing the vulnerable
We have 3 full reports from the Ombudsman for anyone who would like to see them:
Report 1: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/mtun6kcepx9d1rtxvgpej/final-decision-OMBUDSMAN-FINANCES.pdf?rlkey=tt3811hypx0kdz5xgyqfgmm81&dl=0
Report 2: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/cmv0pi89lb0o0224i26ck/final-decision-OMBUDSMAN-FINANCES-2.pdf?rlkey=olu58ms3cvgv7biububmlhhvb&dl=0
Report 3: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/67ghsca36rdh37ovm5z39/final-decision-OMBUDSMAN-FINANCE-3.pdf?rlkey=m9uz9q1am0fdnxkxc3kvxqe0j&dl=0
Leicester Mercury report, click here: https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/scandal-care-home-spends-severely-8187491#comments-wrapper
Central News ran an article but was not allowed to mention the fraudulent opening of the bank account, click here: https://www.itv.com/news/central/2023-04-13/who-is-at-fault-over-the-way-disabled-mans-money-was-handled
Help us to bring them to account. We will need at least £500 to take this to a small claims court and at least £20,000 if it goes to a Crown Court. Solicitors unfortunately are not cheap!
Thank you for taking the time to read this and please contact me personally for any more information.
If I can just tell you a little about my special brother Ian:
Our brother Ian Reeves was born on 23rd June 1966 and suffered from a brain injury that he sustained at birth.
Ian had severe Learning Disabilities, Hydrocephalus and Epilepsy. As a result of his disabilities, he needed 24/7, one-to-one care. Ian had always been under the care of his relevant Local Authority throughout his life. In 2007, when Ian was 41 years old, he was moved to Marston Court Care Home, Marston Road, Leicester, LE4 9FF, where he continued to reside until his death in February 2021, aged 54.
It was at Marston Court that he became non-verbal, immobile and lacked mental capacity. He had a fixed fused posture, unable to move and sat in a reclined broken wheelchair. His head was larger than average, due to the hydrocephalus, and his chin rested on his chest. He was unable to lift his head so struggled to give eye contact.
We presumed he was being cared for at Marston Court, being supported with all of his clinical needs being met. We were told that Ian led an “active life”, going out on day trips and holidays every year. This we believed as did the Local Authority……
Little did we know at that time this was all fabricated.
Due to my concerns, I became Ian’s financial deputy, after many battles with the Local Authority and Marston Court and I had to gain this legal deputyship through the courts when in fact it should have been a straightforward and simple process. Upon becoming Ian’s financial deputy, I took a more active role in his care as well and became very concerned by his deterioration.
Lots of questions, assessing the situation, and frequent visits showed me things were very wrong.
Ian was nonverbal and couldn’t tell me anything, but the way he looked into my eyes told me everything, so I started digging and have been shocked by what was revealed.
The Care Ombudsman who has already investigated found failures at every level from the Local Authority and Marston Court Care Home.
Ian, unfortunately, passed away in February 2021 in Leicester Royal Infirmary after being admitted with a severe chest infection and was held there as a place of safety whilst we as a family were going to the Court of Protection to get Ian removed from Marston Court and placed into a more suitable care home that could provide more appropriate care to his needs.
He passed away just as we won the case and died in the morning on the day that he was due to move into his new care home.
The time we had with him at the end was bittersweet. We promised him in those last days as we sat with him, that we would fight for him He was precious and worth fighting for His life was worth something and we felt as a family that he had been used for financial gain.
Unfortunately, in this day and age, it takes money and resources to fight for what is right and bring justice.
Money that we as a family no longer have. We have spent the last 4 years and over £5,000 of our own money in uncovering this injustice against our brother and we have no more left to pursue the legal case for justice.
This fight has had a massive strain on our family, which has caused us so much sadness at a time of already such a great loss.
The impact of what we have uncovered has been intolerable, I’ve spent countless hours, months and years uncovering this scandal that was constantly denied for 4 years by people such as the Local Authority and Care Home and staff who should have protected my brother, who we believe was a victim of financial abuse and neglect. This has been so painful to uncover. Their response has been a pathetic apology.
The Care Ombudsman who has already investigated have found failures on every level from the Local Authority and the Care home Marston Court
We now want to take the evidence that we hold to back up everything we say to bring this company to account before the Courts.
Will you help us in any way you can afford?
We fully appreciate that times are hard at the moment, but please give whatever you can afford to help play a vital role in this pursuit for justice.
A bank account was opened in the names of 2 of the carers, without any authority to do so, and cash withdrawals made mounting to over £11, 000 over several years.
Marston Court Care home banked over £36,000 of his benefits money into this fraudulent bank account, which was opened in 2 different carer's names and registered to their home address. This was illegal. This was without the knowledge of the official appointees who were the Local Authority at that time, this account remained active until 2020 when I became the legal deputy.
£3,300 cash was withdrawn in just over 7 days in one transaction alone.
No evidence for the spending has been given or found by the investigation conducted by the Local Authority and the Ombudsman. No annual financial reviews by the Local Authority were ever conducted, giving Marston Court an open hand to theft and fraud to be appropriated without any accountability to the tune of thousands of pounds.
Many thanks for your time reading this, the above is a very small snapshot of the abuse that has been perpetrated upon our brother and we simply want to be able to bring these people to justice.
Sharon and the family.