Pensioner, 83, Banned From Seeing Wife Of 60 Years- For Giving Her Painkillers

Police have arrested a grandfather of 83 on suspicion of poisoning his frail wife after he gave her a pain-killing patch to alleviate her aches and pains

Walter Crompton attached the prescription patch to the leg of wife of 60 years Eileen after she said she had been left in severe discomfort by a blood clot.

But staff at Allendale Care Home in Blackley, Manchester where 83-year old dementia suffer Mrs Crompton has been residing for the past two weeks, contacted police because the patch contains morphine.

Four days later officers detained Mr Crompton and kept him in custody for seven hours during which he was asked to give fingerprints and a DNA sample.

The retired British Aerospace worker was released on bail after being questioned on suspicion of administering a noxious substance under the Offences Against the Person Act 1861.

But under the terms of his bail conditions he is now banned from contacting his wife.

The pensioner, from Blackley, is due to answer his bail at the end of the month when it is thought he will be told whether he is to be charged.

The maximum sentence for a conviction on administering poison or noxious thing with intent to injure, aggrieve or annoy is five years in jail.

But Mr Crompton said the patches had been prescribed by a doctor and said care home staff did not tell him the pain relief patches were banned – just that his wife’s codeine prescription was not allowed on the premises.

He added: ‘It’s a patch, nobody ever killed anybody with a patch.

‘I don’t understand why they needed to arrest me. I was just trying to help my wife and I didn’t know it was against the rules.

‘We’ve spent 60 years of our life together. She mustn’t know what’s going on. She is a dear lady, and a quiet character. She never wants any trouble.’

Retired factory machinist Mrs Crompton moved into the care home two weeks ago after a number of falls at home. She has dementia, heart problems and chronic arthritis, for which her doctor had prescribed codeine.

Walter has been his wife’s only carer for two years when she became seriously ill. He supplied the patches after she developed a blood clot in her leg that was causing her a lot of pain.

The couple’s daughter Caron Hampson, 50, said: ‘I think it’s awful. He’s an 83-year-old man and they treated him like a thug.

‘He was concerned about her leg which they didn’t treat right away, and I can imagine he got quite angry about it, but there is no way they needed to call the police. He’s not physically intimidating or violent.’

Greater Manchester Police said: ‘On Tuesday, 2 April 2014, police in North Manchester received of report of concern over medicine administered to a resident at a Blackley care home.

‘Officers from the Public Protection Investigation Unit started an investigation and a multi-agency strategy meeting was held with partner agencies to discuss how to best to establish the facts.

‘Subsequently an 83-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of administering a noxious substance.

‘He has been released on bail pending further inquiries until 28 April 2014.

‘Officers are continuing to work with partner agencies, including the care home as part of this ongoing investigation.’

Det Supt Joanne Rawlinson, of the Public Protection Division, said: ‘This is a potentially serious offence in which a vulnerable elderly woman with significant health issues could have come to serious harm and, as such, the police will always conduct a thorough investigation.

‘As part of any inquiry like this our priority is always to protect vulnerable people and this may involve certain bail conditions being imposed.’

The Allendale Care Home declined to comment.