A man is accused of leaving his mother unattended in her bathroom, where she eventually died after being neglected for two weeks, according to court testimony. Veronica Irwin, aged 72, reportedly suffered a distressing and undignified demise due to the alleged abandonment at her residence in Carlisle, Cumbria. The man, identified as Stewart Irwin, 56, purportedly contacted emergency services claiming that his mother, under his care, had declined to get up after a fall.

Irwin, who is pleading not guilty to manslaughter charges, allegedly referred to his mother as obstinate when speaking to emergency services. Paramedics who responded to the call discovered the woman partially unclothed and unresponsive in July 2023, with signs of maggots on her skin. The post-mortem examination revealed that she succumbed to hypothermia and sepsis from pressure ulcers, likely due to prolonged immobility on the floor.

Prosecutors claimed that Irwin callously neglected his mother, who was left lying on the bathroom floor while he carried on with his routine activities. Furthermore, he was accused of unauthorized withdrawals from her bank account and frequent purchases of alcohol at a local store, as captured by surveillance footage.

During the trial at Carlisle Crown Court, Prosecutor Phillip Barnes KC emphasized that Irwin failed to take any action to assist his ailing mother. Barnes condemned Irwin’s indifference, stating that a responsible caregiver would not have ignored the dire situation. The trial proceedings are ongoing.