One of the officers went out on a case last week and had some concerns about what was going on in this property.
I went back with her this week.
Essentially this little old lady owns this huge 5 storey property in a very posh part of town. She has no mortgage on it and has a number of tenants in it as well as living there herself. The property is in a dreadful state
She has not a penny to her name ( so it seems) and appears to be suffering from dementia . She is dishevelled and obviously not eating properly. One of the 'tenants' there claims he is her business advisor and is acting on her behalf. He is really one of the most unsavoury characters I have met. I told him yesterday that I could not discuss anything with him directly as her had no legal authority and that he should leave and he became quite aggressive . Little old lady is very subserviant to him ( he is no relation or partner ).
So have checked with Housing Benefit . they are paying 'her' over £1000 a week for the various tenants in the building . Business Advisor man says she is not receiving this , tenants say they are paying it. You just know where it is actually going
Business Advisor man lives in property as well, opens all her mail, handles all her accounts, tells her what is 'fact' from 'fiction' , and generally makes her feel even more confused than she already is
So tried to 'engage' Social Services - real concerns what is going on here , she is not able to look after herself, being manipulated, ripped off, etc. " Unless she makes the referral we cannot take action "
I spent most of this week trying to reverse such a nonsense decision and then they finally went to do an assessment of her yesterday. Well what a surprise , they have assessed her under the Mental Capacity Act and have confirmed she is not capable of making or understanding her own decisions. Eureka.
I also contacted a police engagement officer that works with the Council and again they were reluctant to get involved. Then they sent something yesterday which basically involved us compiling all the evidence they would need before they could investigate any 'criminality'.
Every message these people send out is about reporting suspcious circumstances , promising investigations and welcoming the opportunity to do so.
The reality however is bloody horrendous.
