A mentally ill man continued to feed and care for his elderly parents after they had died, an inquest heard today.
John Dumsday, 85, was badly decomposed when he was found dead in his chair at the family home in Southbourne, Dorset.
The pensioner, who played football for Queens Park Rangers in his youth, had napkins where his son Paul had been continuing to feed him.
His 83-year-old wife Christine, was found wearing a personal stereo playing music, when their bodies were found on August 25 last year.
A post-mortem examination showed she had died of natural causes due to heart disease, malnutrition and an undetected tumour in her kidney, a coroner in Bournemouth was told.
The inquest heard Mr Dumsday was a sportsman before and during the war. He played cricket for the London XI team and football for Queens Park Rangers before he joined the Royal Air Force.
He was discharged from service after injuring his leg and went on to become an estate agent.
Coroner's officer Michael Humphries said: "The son, who had mental problems, thought his parents were still alive.
"He was taken away by police and later admitted to St Ann's Hospital."
The inquest heard Mrs Dumsday had been admitted to the same psychiatric hospital in Poole suffering from delusions of impending doom and muteness in 1991 but discharged herself.
Coroner Sheriff Payne recorded a verdict of natural causes for Mrs Dumsday and an open verdict for her husband.
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Full Version: Disturbed son kept feeding dead parents
that was disturbing.. xD wish I haven't read the article.
Poor poor mentally disturbed son. 
So sad.
So sad.
To think that he thought his parents were alive is very disturbing. Very sad 
im totally shocked 
as soon as my mother dies shes straight in her box and cremated 
as soon as my mother dies shes straight in her box and cremated
Thats crazy!! i live in Bournemouth and ive never heard of this!! Ive been to saint anns tho to vist my grandad, not a very nice place to got!! very sad what happens to some of the people there..
very sad what happens to some of the people there..
Poor guy....At least it wasn't what I thought it was going to be about, ( a yound mentally ill child doing the same).......
QUOTE (The_Scorpion @ Feb 26 2008, 04:44 PM) 
A mentally ill man continued to feed and care for his elderly parents after they had died, an inquest heard today.
John Dumsday, 85, was badly decomposed when he was found dead in his chair at the family home in Southbourne, Dorset.
The pensioner, who played football for Queens Park Rangers in his youth, had napkins where his son Paul had been continuing to feed him.
His 83-year-old wife Christine, was found wearing a personal stereo playing music, when their bodies were found on August 25 last year.
A post-mortem examination showed she had died of natural causes due to heart disease, malnutrition and an undetected tumour in her kidney, a coroner in Bournemouth was told.
The inquest heard Mr Dumsday was a sportsman before and during the war. He played cricket for the London XI team and football for Queens Park Rangers before he joined the Royal Air Force.
He was discharged from service after injuring his leg and went on to become an estate agent.
Coroner's officer Michael Humphries said: "The son, who had mental problems, thought his parents were still alive.
"He was taken away by police and later admitted to St Ann's Hospital."
The inquest heard Mrs Dumsday had been admitted to the same psychiatric hospital in Poole suffering from delusions of impending doom and muteness in 1991 but discharged herself.
Coroner Sheriff Payne recorded a verdict of natural causes for Mrs Dumsday and an open verdict for her husband.
link
John Dumsday, 85, was badly decomposed when he was found dead in his chair at the family home in Southbourne, Dorset.
The pensioner, who played football for Queens Park Rangers in his youth, had napkins where his son Paul had been continuing to feed him.
His 83-year-old wife Christine, was found wearing a personal stereo playing music, when their bodies were found on August 25 last year.
A post-mortem examination showed she had died of natural causes due to heart disease, malnutrition and an undetected tumour in her kidney, a coroner in Bournemouth was told.
The inquest heard Mr Dumsday was a sportsman before and during the war. He played cricket for the London XI team and football for Queens Park Rangers before he joined the Royal Air Force.
He was discharged from service after injuring his leg and went on to become an estate agent.
Coroner's officer Michael Humphries said: "The son, who had mental problems, thought his parents were still alive.
"He was taken away by police and later admitted to St Ann's Hospital."
The inquest heard Mrs Dumsday had been admitted to the same psychiatric hospital in Poole suffering from delusions of impending doom and muteness in 1991 but discharged herself.
Coroner Sheriff Payne recorded a verdict of natural causes for Mrs Dumsday and an open verdict for her husband.
link
You would think with a history of mental illness in the family she would have been given help through a goverment department.The son obviously would have shown signs of this to through out his life.Why family's like this are not helped way before a sad story like this can occur is beyond me.
Thats because there aren't that many agents to take care of all the people in need. Some of them just slip through the cracks as the saying does and will not be noticed for some time or not at all. It happens and nothing funny happened by careing for his parents. Just plain chemical imbalance which I am sure they have medication for so the poor guy could have gotten some help.
It,s so very sad to read about situations like this! There are so many people in need of a helping, and guiding hand with no one there to give it! I wonder how often things like this happen, and it doesn,t make it into the media where we hear about it? I,m willing to bet a lot more than we ever know!
thats messed up
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