The Tribunal Decision

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Page of Days

All events calculated from today.
Today marks 7 years, 4 months, and 25 days since Dolores Maxwell passed away.
It has been 7 years, 6 months, and 27 days since Dolores was rushed to Wexford General Hospital, where she later died.

7 years, 5 months, and 18 days marks the time since the first statement (among many to follow) made by Dolores' solicitor, Joseph Bowe of Beauchamps Solicitors, that he would seek Dolores' financials and other records once he had the authority to do so – when either Dolores' Enduring Power of Attorney was registered or the Grant of Probate was received. He has never done so despite requests from Dolores' beneficiaries.
6 years, 10 months, and 22 days since the Grant of Probate for Dolores' estate.
5 years, 9 months, and 17 days since Dolores' last asset, her house, was sold. None of Dolores' three executors have given any indication of when her estate will be wound up.
Today marks 6 years, 3 months, and 13 days since Dolores' solicitor and co-executor of her estate was informed about serious flaws in the administration of her estate.
After being informed 11 months and 10 days previously of the serious irregularities in the administration of Dolores' estate, her solicitor and co-executor Joseph Bowe finally responded with a flat denial of any knowledge of what he was plainly and directly informed of and subsequently asked about several times during that period by beneficiaries of Dolores' state. After issuing that flat denial, Mr Bowe has since resumed his silence, even as further very serious issues with the administration of Dolores' estate have been identified.
More…
At this point, it's been 5 years, 2 months, and 30 days since Saoirse's letter was delivered to the Managing Partner of Beauchamps Solicitors, John White, with a simple request of his intentions regarding the flawed administration of Dolores' estate:

“… can you please advise what steps if any, you as Managing Partner of Beauchamps Solicitors, or Beauchamps Solicitors plan to take.”
There is ought but silence for a response.
5 years, 4 months, and 3 days ago the three members of the Division of the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal that decided Saoirse's complaint were invited to illuminate or at least comment on what we perceive as their bizarre decision of “No Misconduct” in the case of Dolores' solicitors. Silence reigns.
More…
37
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36…37
“Thirty seven” is the number of individuals that have corroborated the abuse Dolores and or Cecil suffered from their youngest son Ethan Maxwell to date.
Those who witnessed various aspects of this abuse include:
– Dolores' children
– At least four of Dolores grandchildren
– Former family physicians
– Neighbours in Deansgrange, Finglas and Rosslare
– Friends of neighbours
– Relatives
– Family friends
– Health Providers
– A former member of An Garda Síochána
In addition, many of these same individuals and others have themselves suffered from Ethan Maxwell's abusive nature, including various attempts at intimidation, financial scams, threats and extortion.
Odds & Ends
Gardai Domestic Violence Policy
Letter to the Editor, Sunday Independent
The Taxi Letter John Trimble
Sign placed on Dolores' grave
Doing A Runner?
A Doctor's View on Savita
John Costello, Beauchamps Solicitors – “The Laws and Legal Issues Affecting Persons With Disabilities”, includes a section on Elder Abuse.
A Neighbour's Account
Another Neighbour Speaks Out
Recording of Conversations in Ireland
Even Stalin in the dark days of the Soviet Union couldn't top Ireland in the percentage of it's people put into mental institutions. Excellent RTE documentary by Mary Raftery in two parts:
Watch Behind The Walls Part 1
Behind The Walls Part 2

Sad but true: Ireland's mental health policy is informed by the 140–year old Lunacy Regulation (Ireland) 1871 act. Despite decades of abusive mental health practices by the State and calls for reform by human rights groups and mental health advocates, it remains in effect.
Annual report of SafeIreland –
Violence towards women and children in Ireland increases yet again.
Non-Irish Way to respond to Elder Abuse
Years too late for Dolores and Cecil, it is now illegal for a solicitor to represent both parties in a property transaction. Read the full act here.
Read “Elder Mistreatment – Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation in an Aging America”
Read Prevention and Recognition of Elder Abuse
Typical Ireland – Kill your wife and collect her estate

How to Clear Your Cache
Alternate Views

In production—featuring views from:
Ethan Maxwell
Sophie Maxwell
Carsten Kohl (HSE Elder Abuse Senior Case Worker)
Contact

Dolores' Last Year
Dolores' Art
- Dolores' Paintings and Needlework
Mother's Day, 2011
Dolores' Children
- Names in Italics
  are pseudonyms.
Open Letter to the Coroner
Dolores' Grave
Dolores' Greenhouse
Cecil – Self Portrait
Special Thanks
- Wexford General Hospital
- Friends and Family
Resources
Newsworthy
Beauchamps
The Curiosity Shoppe
- The last asset of the estate of Eamonn Lillis and his wife Celine Cawley – their house – was sold on
  03 October 2012 for €850,000. Mr Lillis has received his half of the sale proceeds. This would be the
  house where Mr Lillis brutally killed his wife. (His daughter received the other half, despite
  Mr Lillis' legal attempts to prevent her from sharing in the estate. After killing his wife, Mr Lillis
  received over €1.3 million from his wife's estate. Inexplicably, Ireland seems to be unashamed of this. )
  
  From the date of sale of the last asset to payment of the beneficiaries took no more than
  2 months and 20 days.
  
  By contrast, in the much simpler and smaller estate of Dolores Maxwell (her solicitor
  Damian Brass describes it as "insignificant") her estate's last asset – her house –
  sold on 05 July 2012. Today marks 5 years, 9 months, and 17 days since Dolores' last asset was sold,
  with no word from her three executors of when Dolores' estate might be wound up.
  
  Curious.
- According to the official records of Met Eireann, Ireland's meteorological service, at midnight
  26 September 2010 the temperature in Rosslare Co Wexford was a brisk 8°C, or about 48°F.
  
  Yet every single window in the home of Dolores Maxwell was wide open. Even the roof window
  (you open it by hooking a long pole into a crank) which none of her neighbours or children
  had ever seen opened before was gaping into the chilly night air.
  
  Her youngest son was also in her home. He had a skip delivered to Dolores' driveway earlier
  and was occupied in those wee morning hours filling it up with Dolores' belongings and other
  items from the house. Her youngest son also spent some of that time pacing back and forth
  in her bedroom.
  
  Two and a half hours later, Dolores was fighting for her life, and had even stopped breathing
  for a short time.
  
  Curious.
- On Sunday 26 September 2010, Dolores' youngest son called Dolores' Home Care Assistant,
  who spent a 1/2 hour every weekday morning helping Dolores.
  Dolores' youngest son informed the HCA that Dolores would not be needing her services
  for the upcoming week. You see, Dolores was going to spend the week with him in Bray, and
  they were in route that very moment in his car. Yes, Dolores was sitting in the car with him.
  Hmm. Now that's odd.
  Dolores was actually in Wexford General Hospital, barely alive. Her youngest son had signed
  all the admittance forms hours earlier, informing the hospital that none of Dolores' children,
  grandchildren, relatives or anyone else were to be notified or allowed to visit Dolores.
  Curious. How very curious indeed.
- Two days after Dolores entered Wexford General Hospital, her youngest son was using her credit card.
  
  That's not curious at all. On the contrary, it was predictable. He had been using Dolores' credit and
  debit cards and some of her financial accounts as his own personal ATM for quite a while.
  Now we should mention that all of Dolores' financial institutions confirmed that no one except Dolores
  had authorization to use them. No one. Even her solicitor confirms this.
  What we find interesting is this:
  
  After being provided with undeniable hard proof that her youngest son was stealing from Dolores while she
  lay helpless in WGH, her solicitor and co-executor of her estate has not lifted a finger to protect
  Dolores' estate and have the funds returned from this illegal use of her card - let alone have him
  prosecuted.
  
  Her solicitor certainly said he would look into it. Here's one of his statements
  about it:
  “The thing I don't have in this is, to get back to the credit card, I, it's much easier for me
  to get a grant of probate, and then write to Ulster Bank, I think it's Visa or something like that… ”
  
  “Mastercard”
  
  “…and I'll say to them, here's the Grant of Probate, I need the statements going back…”
  <p>Your old browser does not support iframes. Use this link instead: <a href="/curios/curio4_audio.mp3" class="htrack">Audio Clip</a></p>
  And again:
  “…if Ethan took money he wasn't entitled to, that he shouldn't have been entitled to, then it goes back into the estate.”
  Those statements were made about two years ago. Why are all these issues met with the wall of silence, and
  the most recent protests from Dolores' solicitor/executor that “I know nothing about these matters” ?
  
  Curious.
- Dolores Maxwell was a frugal woman who was known to wear clothes that her daughters
  had left behind when they moved out of the house. Generous with charities and those in
  need, she was loathe to spend money on herself.
  Her solicitor and co-executor of her estate knew her well enough to acknowledge this
  fact.
  As he said:
  
  “…I mean, was she taking out cash all over the place, it wouldn't be like your mother…”
  <p>Your old browser does not support iframes. Use this link instead: <a href="/curios/curio5_audio.mp3" class="htrack">Audio Clip</a></p>
  We don't think Dolores was "taking cash out all over the place." Not at all.
  Yet it is undeniable that money was flying out of Dolores' accounts in the
  months before her death. During one four month period a single account saw transactions
  that averaged over €10,000 per week.
  This was of course brought to the attention of Dolores' solicitor/executor a few months
  after Dolores' death in 2010. Despite his many, many (recorded) statements that Dolores'
  financial records would be sought and investigated once the Grant of Probate was registered,
  enquiries about this from her beneficiaries are met with silence, or a flat denial that he
  ever knew about these things.
  Curious.
- Less than two weeks before Dolores entered Wexford General Hospital, her youngest
  son called Eircom, Ireland's land line provider, and had her phone number changed. He
  told them it was because of “harrassing calls.”
  Her youngest son had spent the last year and a half (following her husband Cecil's
  death) isolating Dolores from her friends and family and interposing himself into the
  minutest areas of Dolores' life. He transferred some of her property to himself, put
  himself on her state-subsidised phone and electricity accounts, and even took control
  of her state-subsidised rubbish bin account.
  
  Neither the Public Health Nurse, her children, brother or relatives in the UK could
  reach her reliably by phone before Ethan had the number changed, let alone
  after. Dolores' mobile number was changed some time earlier and, according to her daughter
  Sophie, Dolores was provided with three different mobiles by Ethan.
  These mobile numbers were not given out to friends or loved ones.
  Even more interesting is the fact that two weeks into Dolores' hospitalization, her youngest
  son had her phone service disconnected, cut off her electricity, heat and alarm system, and
  even cut off the water to her house.
  Curious behaviour, that. Very curious behaviour.
- Dolores was rushed to Wexford General Hospital in the wee hours of 26 September 2010.
  The next two weeks saw her youngest son continue his “management” of her home.
  
  When access to Dolores' house was finally gained in November 2010, her home was more
  remarkable for what wasn't there, rather than what was there. There was no electricity, heat,
  phone service, monitoring/alarm service, or water.
  And other than her clothes, there was very little to indicate that Dolores had spent the
  last five years of her life living there.
  Her favourite chair, that sat near the fire, was gone – broken in pieces and skipped
  by her youngest son.
  
  There were no bills, or letters, or cards. There were no reminders or records of doctors'
  appointments, even though a followup visit for her broken arm had been scheduled for the same
  week she was admitted to Wexford General. There was no record or receipt of her visit to her GP
  less than two days before she entered Wexford General.
  No phone bills. No statements from her financial institutions. No keys to the back garden gate,
  or the storage shed. Her beloved glass greenhouse was gone.
  No messages on the answering machine.
  Property belonging to the HSE which was there before Dolores entered the hospital was missing,
  Her youngest son may have been a bit too frantic in preparing her house, however.
  Stuck to the bottom of her damp outside rubbish bin were some torn up financial statements. More
  statements and financial information were found in the back of her fireplace, scorched and burned –
  partially burned, that is.
  Curious.
Contact and Submissions

The three members of the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal Division – solicitors Hugh O’Neill and Caroline Devlin, and layperson Dermot Eagney – met on 12 June 2012 to consider all of the sworn statements and supporting documentation surrounding Saoirse's complaint against Jaggers and Brass, which was ran a little over a thousand pages.

Saoirse was informed of their decision in a letter dated the next day.We have previously published excerpts of this decision, along with the appropriate Affidavits and Exhibits, see Example 1 and Example 2. We publish it here in its totality.

Throughout history, self–regulation by any entity, whether industry or government body, fails. Self–regulation inexorably devolves into ineffectiveness and farce. Ireland's legal industry have been their own watchdogs for a long, long time. Any hint of change involving effective oversight is met with a steely resolve to maintain the status quo.

We think the following decision is a clear example of the folly of self–regulation.

Page 1 of Trubunal decision

Page 2 of Trubunal decision

Page 3 of Trubunal decision

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World Elder Abuse Awareness Day

UN Declaration of Human Rights

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Towards a Society for All Ages

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