Things Past
All of the various updates from True Detective to The Voice on The Wire can be found here:
Chinatown The Last Detective No Country For Old Men Disturbia Cry Havoc Gaslight
They pretty much cover what’s happened between May and Today, there are obviously things that I can’t disclose but this is likely to be the last ever post on this subject in particular – but more of that later.
Small Changes
What I haven’t said is that North Yorkshire Police launched an investigation, they took statements, spoke to various people and have been great at keeping me up to date.
The issue, as it has been all along is that Arthur hasn’t been willing to raise a complaint and until somebody could determine his Capacity, there couldn’t be any real progress as nobody can get into the house and speak to him / anybody else.
So, Capacity has been the sticking point all along, it’s been holding his bank from taking anything forward or releasing his money, it’s been stopping me from taking this to the Court of Protection.
Everything Really.
An Unguarded Comment
From somebody in the middle of this has highlighted that.
THERE WAS A THIRD SOCIAL SERVICES CASE IN CAMBRIDGE
It began sometime after January this year and ended in April when they moved back to Middleham.
So.
Three cases, none of them linked, all involving safeguarding and vulnerability.
In three different counties.
How often does this happen? How much of our taxes and rates are spent on a system that allows this sort of thing to slip through the net?
But there we are.
An Inspector Calls
I got a phone call last night to say that Arthur has been tested and has been found to have Capacity.
What does this mean?
The bank have turned the taps back on and they’ll allow him full access to his money again.
They have to.
The Police have stopped their investigation.
They have to.
Social Services will continue to monitor welfare at the house.
They have to.
Until.
Arthur, Susan and the whole caravan move again.
Because they will.
TH…. TH…. TH… THAT’s All Folks
Until Arthur and Shirley die quiet deaths, unknown to their families, Susan inherits the house and lives happily ever after, abusing the neighbours, living in filth and calling the Police on anybody who crosses her wherever they end up.
If that sounds bitter, it isn’t really.
It’s a recognition that the system is flawed at the moment, call somebody a naughty name on Social Media and you’re in the system for ever; live like animals at the fringes of society and the system isn’t scoped to deal with it.
I think that when they DO move, somebody will at least notify the authorities of the nightmare heading their way, I feel sorry for whatever neighbours they end up sharing space with, they’ll find – just like the current neighbours; that shy of burning the house down, they can’t do anything at all.
I’ve tried all I can with this, I can’t do any more, Arthur has made his bed and now he’ll have to die in it.
I will be trying to take the general issue up with my MP to see if there’s any chance of getting a Private Member’s Bill raised and I’ll update if I get any progress.
And I’ll take some quiet comfort in the fact that I’ve tried my best, I’ve forced Social Services and other agencies to up their game and I’ve managed to make life just a bit more difficult for Miss Susan and her family.
I owe thanks to so many of you that have given willingly of your time and effort to help with this and that’s my real takeaway from this.
I hope I can give something back at some stage.
2020 UPDATE
I’ll do a separate blog post on this, so much happened in the period after I wrote this that everything was almost lost.
However.
Arthur lost every single penny he had and more.
He had £34,000 left in the bank when capacity was given.
By a social worker.
Not a doctor. Or a psychiatrist.
A fucking social worker.
Within a day, he’d taken £8,000 out in cash.
And they went to Cambridge again.
And by Easter 2019 he was overdrawn, ill and about to be dumped by Susan.
I’ll be writing about the legal genius that is Nick Timmings from a Cambridge law firm and a host of others.
Hold tight.
smallthunderdog 
I’ve only just come across your blog in the last couple of updates. I’m surprised it ended like this, although I know the bar for incapacity has to be fairly high as taking people’s liberty away is high stakes.
Question – do you have any confidence that this capacity decision was performed correctly?
From what you said about the situation when he was in the tea room, it seems clear he was being bullied to some degree.
Part of me wondered about the feasibility of telling him to get in your car and drive him away for a few hours or days to ‘detox’ and actually establish what he is really thinking.
The doubt I had at the time was that if he had no capacity, it would make you no better than her. But if he does have capacity, and acquiesced, then you would have done nothing wrong.
Obviously it wouldn’t be that practical an idea.
Anyway, no-one can doubt you have tried.
You did all you can. Nobody could ask for more, and we are all very proud of how you conducted yourself.
Inside each of us, that did what little we could to help, a small part is dead.
I’ll be raising a glass to you, with you, and hope that if you ever need help again that you’ll ask.
This is such a sad ending and I was hoping for some positive news ☹️ Like others have said, you did all you could and more x
Ah, shoot. You have my greatest respect and my sympathy. Rodders is right about pride. And about raising a glass.
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