Brothers are found NOT guilty of killing their bedridden mum, 72, who spent her dying days lying on a urine-soaked mattress with infected bedsores and a wound the size of a fist
- Phillip and David Thompson have been found not guilty of killing their mother
- Their mother, 72, developed infected bedsores after being stuck in her bed
- She was found lying on a urine soaked mattress with a wound on her backside
- Sons not guilty as neither had medical expertise, mum wouldn’t see doctor
Phillip and Daniel Thompson have been found not guilty of the manslaughter of their mother
Two Sydney brothers accused of gross criminal neglect of their ailing mother before she died have been found not guilty of her manslaughter.
Australian Federal Police diplomatic protection officer Phillip Thompson, 43, and David Thompson, 40, pleaded not guilty to the manslaughter of their mother, Shirley, who developed infected bedsores after becoming confined to her bed.
The 72-year-old died in Blacktown Hospital on September 2 in 2017.
The younger brother called an ambulance on August 23 saying his bedridden mother couldn’t eat and had a wound on her backside.
Paramedics found the dehydrated and malnourished woman had developed infected bedsores and was lying on a urine-soaked towel in her bed in a house they described as filthy and disgusting.
The prosecution alleged the men were grossly negligent, having been aware in the preceding month of her deteriorating condition – including bedsores and the significant wound – and the need for medical attention.
But Justice Fagan, who heard their NSW Supreme Court trial without a jury, on Friday found them both not guilty of manslaughter.
He said neither son had medical expertise and their mother consistently refused to go to a doctor.
The judge found neither man could be held criminally responsible as they did not have medical expertise and their mother had refused to go to a doctor