Lawyer denies care home patient her dog

A SOLICITOR appointed to represent an elderly stroke victim has been thrown off the case by a Court of Protection judge furious that he failed to take steps to let the woman see her dog.

District Judge Ranj Matharu also raised questions over the solicitor’s handling of the woman’s finances, after it emerged that £7,000 had been withdrawn from her account, leaving her with a zero balance, and her credit card was in the red.

Alan Cryne was appointed by the court last September to represent the interests of the Rochdale pensioner, known as Mrs P, after she was placed in a care home following a second stroke. Rochdale borough council and her local NHS clinical commissioning groups drew up a care plan. This emphasised that Mrs P should have some form of contact with her dog, Bobby, who was “the only living being with whom she shares any love or devotion”.

Bobby was rehoused, but when the council and the CCGs requested the dog be taken to visit Mrs P, the law firm Temperley Taylor refused, saying the suggestion was “irresponsible”. Judge Matharu, at Manchester Civil Justice Centre, said she found the comments “brutal and insensitive”. She found the handling of Mrs P’s financial affairs “troubling”.

Temperley Taylor said it could not comment as it was considering an appeal.