Trial over US dementia man ‘dumped’ in UK
A BRITISH businessman will stand trial accused of “dumping” a US dementia patient who was flown to the UK and abandoned in a car park.
Roger Curry, 76, was unable to remember his name or personal details when he was discovered outside a bus station in Hereford in 2015.
The case baffled police and prompted a global appeal to identify Mr Curry and find out how he came to be in Britain – eventually identifying him as the former owner of a burnt-down house in a wealthy suburb of Los Angeles.
At Worcester Crown Court on Tuesday, Simon Davis, prosecuting, claimed Mr Curry’s son Kevin “effectively dumped” his father in Hereford city centre with the help of a Somerset man.
The alleged accomplice, Simon Hayes, 52, of Taunton, Somerset, was charged with fraud, perverting the course of justice and two counts of possessing fake letters.
It is understood Kevin Curry remains in California, and faces no charges.
His father has been taken back to Los Angeles where he is being cared for by the city’s authorities.
So-called “granny dumping” is more common in the US due to the high cost of medical care there.
The Oxford Dictionary defines granny dumping as the abandonment of an elderly person in a public place, especially by a relative who is unable or unwilling to provide or pay for their care.
After a police appeal on BBC Midlands Today, a viewer recognised Mr Curry and he was tracked down to the burnt-out house which had been abandoned as a result of a fire in 2014. Neighbours in California identified the man as Mr Curry, a former nurse who was married with two children, and he was eventually flown back to his home town.
Mr Hayes denied all the charges and was bailed to stand trial next April. In a BBC Panorama documentary, Kevin Curry said he had nothing to do with the abandonment of his father.