Returned serviceman fleeced of life savings
‘‘There's this societal lack of respect for elderly people and where they live in the world.’’
When World War II veteran Ron Greenhalgh died on Father’s Day last year, he had nothing but the second-hand clothes on his back, after his daughter stripped him of his life savings and spent them.
When Greenhalgh, 95, was admitted to a rest home with dementia, he had a home and significant savings.
By the time he died, his daughter Carolyn Diane Alleyne had allegedly spent about $250,000 of his money at the TAB and to maintain her own lifestyle, leaving him with barely enough for his funeral.
Her only brother, Mike Greenhalgh, is devastated by her theft and has been left asking why the depletion of their father’s accounts was the only thing that stopped her.
Ron Greenhalgh was living in a care home with dementia when Alleyne began using her power of attorney to access his bank accounts, taking about $250,000, says Mike Greenhalgh.
When Ron’s money ran out Alleyne moved him out of his care home and into her Pakuranga abode.
Shortly afterward he was hospitalised with pneumonia and spent eight weeks moving between hospitals, eventually dying in an aged care facility.
Mike became suspicious after Alleyne transferred Ron’s car into her name. He sought advice, but nothing was done.
Mike and his wife Jenny previously had a good relationship with Alleyne, frequently visiting her and her husband at their home. They were gobsmacked when they learned Alleyne had effectively spent Mike’s entire inheritance.
It’s one of a number of largescale thefts of elderly making it through the courts recently.
Age Concern says elderly being fleeced of savings is one of its most common complaints.
Bank records showed Alleyne had blown the money on her lifestyle, and the TAB, said Mike.
In one email, Alleyne admitted she had spent the lot, prompting Greenhalgh to insist she relinquish her position as power of attorney.
When Greenhalgh opened his father’s accounts all that was left was $16,000 in Bonus Bonds – enough to pay for a funeral. One account was overdrawn by hundreds and another had just $16 left in it. The Greenhalghs were so disgusted by Alleyne’s deceit they opted to have a separate funeral for Ron.
Sitting in his Kaiaua home, Greenhalgh has ringbinders containing pages and pages of bank statements showing his sister’s spending.
After printing them all off he bought a highlighter pen with the intention of marking every time a suspicious transaction appeared. He never used the highlighter as there were too many instances.
Greenhalgh chokes up when speaking about his sister’s offending and wife Jenny leaves the room in a flood of tears, describing the rest home giving them Ron’s belongings.
The only clothes he had were donated from residents who had died. ‘‘It’s not about the money. It’s a huge betrayal,’’ he says.
Even the police said they couldn’t do anything, despite an email from Alleyne with her admissions.
‘‘You get an email like that, saying I’m spending his money like it’s going out of fashion, and you want something done now. Put a freeze on the accounts,’’ Greenhalgh says.
Police said they needed evidence a crime had been committed before they could act.
Carolyn Alleyne said she had paid the court $120,000 in reparation which she expected would be given to Mike.
She refused to confirm if her total spending had been $250,000: ’’There’s no proof.’’
When asked if she was remorseful, she replied: ‘‘Of course, what do you think?’’
She declined to comment on what she spent the money on, or why, and rubbished the idea her father had only second-hand clothes when he died. ‘‘I really don’t want to discuss it with anybody else. I’ve discussed it with the lawyer, and that’s as much as I want to.’’
Age Concern chief executive Stephanie Clare said about 50 per cent of reported elderly abuse was financial and a lot of it involved power of attorneys.
‘‘They think they’ve got the right to access the accounts, which is not what it’s all about.
‘‘There’s this societal lack of respect for elderly people and where they live in the world.’’
She advised anyone who suspected an elderly person was being financially abused to report it to Age Concern, as they often worked with police to investigate complaints.