Stephen Bourke appears in the High Court at Rotorua and pleads guilty to a charge relating to failing to provide adequate care of his mother. Photo / Kelly Makiha
Warning: Graphic content. This story deals with the medical neglect of a vulnerable person, and readers may find the details distressing.
Stephen Bourke was meant to care for his sick mum. But instead, he left her lying in her own waste while her body slowly deteriorated.
Gloria Bourke, 71, weighed just 31.9kg when she died on June 28, 2024, according to court documents.
Eight days earlier, she had been taken to hospital after being found with gangrenous sores all over her body, bed sheets stuck to her sores and insects crawling on her.
Now one of her sons has admitted a charge in the High Court at Rotorua that he failed to provide adequate care for a vulnerable adult.
Stephen Bourke was originally charged with manslaughter, but this was withdrawn and replaced with the admitted charge before he appeared in court on Thursday before Justice Kiri Tahana.
The amended charge said that between May 1, 2024,and June 20, 2024, Stephen Bourke was caring for a vulnerable adult, but failed to provide adequate care, the omission of which causes suffering, injury and/or adverse effects.
The charge stipulated that Stephen Bourke failed to adequately clean Gloria Bourke or her bedding, failed to treat bed sores, failed to provide nourishment and failed to seek medical attention.
A summary of facts in the case released to the Rotorua Daily Post said Gloria Bourke suffered from Alzheimer’s dementia and diabetes, and her son, Stephen Bourke, 35, had the enduring power for her personal care and welfare since 2015.
He was receiving the supported living payment for being his mother’s fulltime carer.
Over several years leading up to her death, a community support agency staff member went to their home three times a week for an hour to do tasks such as washing and cooking.
Stephen Bourke never took up offers of having the home helper shower her or change her linen, saying he was able to cope.
The summary said Gloria Bourke was able to shower and toilet herself, eat the food he prepared, and exercise until about April 2024.
She weighed on average 55-56kg between 2016 and January 2024.
In May 2024, she lost her mobility and was unable to walk or stand unassisted.
No medical attention was sought to determine why she deteriorated.
The summary said the home helper did not notice she was no longer mobile, as she was usually still in bed during the early morning visits.
The care worker noticed the sheets looked dirty and took a clean set at the next visit, offering to change them, but Bourke declined the help.
Some time during May or early June, Gloria Bourke became bedridden and lost control of her urinary and bowel motions. She was left to defecate and urinate in her bed.
The summary said she developed bed sores that became infected due to not showering or being cleaned properly. Her bed sores were not treated.
She became more ill and was in too much pain to move or be showered, and the infection worsened, the summary said.
Bourke tried to give her a sponge bath, but she would scream in pain if he tried to move her. He did not seek medical help.
A blood lab technician visited the house on June 18 for six-monthly routine blood tests, which showed Gloria Bourke had an infection.
The blood technician arranged for a doctor to visit on June 20.
Gloria Bourke showed signs of distress, had a low temperature and high pulse rate, and moaned if she was moved.
The doctor found the sheets were stuck to the sores on her back. An ambulance was called, with a paramedic noting gangrenous pressure sores on her body that had an offensive smell and discharge. Insects were crawling on her.
In the hospital, she was found with skin breakdown, tunnelling ulcer and numerous wounds.
She was treated for infection and dehydration but died on June 28, weighing 31.9kg.
A pathologist’s report said Gloria Bourke died from infectious complications of medical neglect, being the failure of her caregiver to provide necessary medical care, treatment or preventive interventions, the summary said.
Her cause of death was found to be bronchopneumonia and sepsis.
Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that occurs when the body’s response to an infection causes widespread inflammation, leading to tissue damage and organ failure.
The summary said early detection, proper hygiene, wound care and antibiotics can prevent sepsis.
Bourke told police he believed he had given his mother excellent care up until May 2024 and had been trying to manage until the six-monthly routine doctor’s visit was due in June 2024.
He admitted to not calling a doctor or seeking medical help when his mother’s condition started to deteriorate.
Justice Tahana remanded Bourke on continued bail to get his ”affairs in order” until his sentencing on April 20.
Justice Tahana warned prison was the likely outcome at sentencing.
Crown Solicitor Amanda Gordon appeared, and lawyer Andy Schulze appeared for Bourke.
Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.