Woman found guilty of manslaughter of resident in care home
NEW YORK: A woman has been found guilty of manslaughter over the death of a resident in residential care.
The method involved adding ‘dream dream’ drugs to a soup.
The daughter of acclaimed scientist Mary White has been found guilty of manslaughter over the death of her 92-year-old mother in an aged care home in 2018.
Barbara Eckersley never denied adding so called “green dream” drugs to her mother’s soup, but said she did not intend to kill her.
The New South Wales Supreme Court jury deliberated for just under three days before handing down their verdict this morning.
Today they found Eckersley was not guilty of murder, but the lesser charge of manslaughter, after the court heard she had been depressed about her mother’s ill health.
It heard the once lively and engaging scientist had been in a poor state before her death, with dementia causing her to be unable to speak and only able to consume liquid food.
She was about to be moved to another aged care home at Coffs Harbour after Eckersley differed with the home over her care.
A key issue during the trial was the tension between the Eckersley family and nursing home staff over Dr White’s treatment.
The jury was shown a video Eckersley filmed that showed her mother in a distressed and agitated state.
She had wanted staff to make her more comfortable, but claimed there was resistance.