Says caregiver collected mother's pension, ran up phone bill

Andre Williams, STAR Writer

Family members of a 94-year-old woman who died recently are accusing a caregiver of running up bills in the woman's name and defrauding her in life and death.

According to the family of the late Agatha Foote, the deaf woman was allegedly ripped off while on her deathbed and continued to be defrauded after she passed away.

Foote's son, 71-year-old Theophillus Footeaccused the caregiver of running up his mother's phone bill after pointing out that his deaf mother could not have made calls.

"She can't hear so I want to know who run up the phone bill? And then all I hear he feeds her is fishhead soup. If she ask for anything else or suggest anything else, him handle her bad," said a tearful Foote.

Foote showed the news team documents, including land titles, bank books and telephone bills. The telephone bill, he claimed, were exhausted by the caretaker as his mother was deaf.

Foote continued, "This man, the son of a friend of mama, was forced upon my mother to have him take care of her as we were away in England. Mom lived in England for a while but later returned to Jamaica, he said.

The elderly son said that based on his knowledge, his mother died on April 6 at Kingston Public Hospital. He said the caregiver allegedly tried to bury his mother without his knowledge, reportedly telling hospital workers that she had no other relative.

"He moved my mother from the hospital to a funeral home of his choice. I had to send a friend to him to sort things after we learnt of his intentions. Though it wasn't easy to get the death paper from him, the intervention of the police made him fork up the papers."

Foote showed the news team documents received from his mother's bank which showed her monthly pension received on April 12 was withdrawn from her account the following day. Foote alleges that the caregiver had post-dated cheques in his possession, which were believed to have been somehow signed by his mother before she died.

"He (the caregiver) was suppose to call the UK and tell them my mother was deceased and he didn't notify any authority, he was still collecting her pension," said Foote.

Foote said the matter has been reported to the police but accused them of dragging their feet.

"The police are not helping to accost the man and begin their investigation even when I have a lead, the officer simply wants to escort me to the man and ask him politely to hand over the rest of the missing paper works. That is crazy with these Jamaican police," he said.

When contacted, the caretaker said he knew nothing about missing documents and the allegations against him were untrue.

"Over 10 years I been looking after him mother and before she died she said when him come to Jamaica he should reimburse me for everything. Him not even tell mi thanks. Instead, him come to Jamaica and a listen some dead-lef grabbers claiming I abandoned his mother. I have since returned the last pension instalment of $45,000 that I took out after she died, but I have nothing else for them," he said.

When THE STAR contacted the Half-Way Tree police all efforts to speak with the investigating officer whose name was on the report receipt given to Foote were futile.

Names changed