An elderly New Zealand man with advanced dementia was subjected to what his son later admitted was "torture" inside a locked, blacked-out room while family members systematically stole his life savings.
Norman Lee, a 90-year-old retired mechanical engineer, died at Christchurch Hospital on July 9, 2020, following a regular pattern of severe elder neglect and financial abuse at his Christchurch home.
A newly-released coroner's report has detailed the horrific living conditions uncovered by police during a search warrant on June 23, 2020.
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Officers found Lee locked inside a permanently darkened bedroom from the outside by a deadbolt. A large black sheet was secured over the window, which was taped shut, leaving the room damp, cold, and completely without ventilation.
The light switches were taped into the off position, and Lee was found in the darkness wearing a wetsuit over an adult diaper. The zip-cord of the wetsuit had been removed so he could not take it off himself.
CCTV cameras installed in the room showed that Lee was regularly locked inside for up to 16 hours at a time, frequently from 5pm until 9am or 10am the following morning. Lee, who was incontinent, was filmed knocking on the door and calling out for help for up to an hour, but his cries were ignored by the occupants of the house.
In 2022, his son, David Lee, and his partner, identified only as "C", were convicted of multiple offences, including failing to provide the necessities of life and keeping a vulnerable adult in unhealthy conditions. David Lee was also convicted of assault, forgery, and 32 counts of theft, after stealing $216,000 from his parents.
A sentencing judge found that David Lee's "sole motivation" was to keep his father at home to maintain "uninterrupted access to significant sums of money," which was spent on holidays, new vehicles, and home entertainment systems.
David Lee received a sentence of six years' imprisonment, while C was sentenced to 22 months' imprisonment following an appeal. In June 2024, David Lee conceded to the Parole Board that "torture" was an appropriate description of his father's treatment.
Investigations by Health New Zealand and the Health and Disability Commissioner (HDC) revealed that a senior social worker, M, visited the home on June 19, 2020, and was shown the cameras and the wetsuit method.
M documented that she felt the couple "had the best intentions to keep Norm safe" and subsequently leaked a confidential plan by Lee's daughter to safely remove her father from the house.
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The HDC concluded M made a "serious error of judgement" that jeopardised the safety plan. M's employment subsequently ended and she has retired.
The HDC was also highly critical of four daily home carers from HealthCare NZ who entered the house but failed to escalate red flags, including the padlock on the door, the wetsuit, and the CCTV cameras. Both health organisations have since implemented systemic updates and safety frameworks.
A forensic pathologist noted that Lee's death was caused by pneumonia and severe cardiovascular disease. While a definitive link could not be drawn, the pathologist stated the neglect and living environment almost certainly increased his frailty, exacerbated his dementia, and elevated his risk of developing pneumonia.
Coroner M Borrowdale ruled that the inquiry would not be resumed, satisfying that the prior criminal and agency investigations had sufficiently established the circumstances of the tragedy.
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This article has been reproduced with permission from Stuff.co.nz.
