Gloria Bourke died in Rotorua Hospital on June 28, 2024. Her son and main caregiver, Stephen Bourke (inset), was charged with an offence relating to failing to provide her with adequate care. Photo composite / NZME
Warning: Graphic content. This story deals with the neglect of a vulnerable person and also mentions suicide and mental health struggles. Readers may find the details distressing.
For 10 years, Stephen Bourke took good care of his mother. But now he’s been jailed after his neglect caused her death.
The case has been described as one of a young man struggling and overwhelmed, rather than one of malicious intent.
Gloria Bourke, 71, was left to lie in her own waste with insects crawling on her body while she slowly deteriorated.
She weighed just 31.9kg when she died on June 28, 2024. Eight days earlier, she had been taken to hospital after being found with gangrenous sores all over her body, sticking to her bed sheets.
Stephen Bourke admitted a charge of failing to provide adequate care for a vulnerable adult.
At his sentencing on April 20, a judge in the High Court at Rotorua jailed him for three years and three months.
Bourke was originally charged with manslaughter, but this was withdrawn and replaced with the admitted charge.
The case was described in court as a “tragedy” for everyone.
Bourke’s lawyer, Andy Schulze, said there was “no malice or cruelty”, and Justice Graham Lang agreed.
“What might appear to be a callous series of events was, in fact, a very complex situation when Stephen Bourke was overwhelmed,” Justice Lang said in sentencing.
The judge outlined the facts of the case, saying Stephen Bourke failed to adequately clean Gloria Bourke or her bedding, treat bed sores, provide nourishment and seek medical attention.
She suffered from Alzheimer’s dementia and diabetes. Stephen Bourke had had the enduring power of attorney for her personal care and welfare since 2015, although his older brother, William, paid for food and medical bills from Australia.
Stephen Bourke was receiving the supported living payment for being his mother’s full-time carer.
Over several years leading up to Gloria Bourke’s 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 helper shower his mother or change her linen, saying he was able to cope.
Justice Lang said Gloria Bourke 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, Justice Lang said.
The care worker noticed the sheets looked dirty and took a clean set at the next visit, offering to change them, but Stephen 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.
She became more ill and was in too much pain to move or be showered, and the infection worsened.
Justice Lange said Stephen Bourke tried to give her a sponge bath, but she would scream in pain if he tried to move her. He did not seek help.
William Bourke lives in Sydney and was in regular contact with his brother over the period he looked after their mother, paying for household expenses, medical supplies and weekly groceries.
He read a victim impact statement to the court, saying he was unaware his mother’s condition had deteriorated.
“When I arrived at Rotorua Hospital and saw my mother lying there, I felt completely broken. Seeing her so thin and unconscious was an overwhelming shock that caused me profound emotional and physical distress.”
He said he was confronted with a feeling of failure.
He said the support system he believed was in place for his mother and brother had “collapsed”.
“It was clear Stephen was struggling.”
He said he had to travel back to New Zealand regularly because he could not get information about his mother’s health over the phone from agencies, as he did not have her power of attorney.
He called it a “rigid system” that “shut out concerned family members”.
William Bourke said they lost their other brother, Robbie, to suicide in 1996 when he was aged 20.
“Having lost one brother to mental health struggles, the ongoing situation with Stephen is a source of unbearable secondary trauma. I feel as though I am observing history repeat itself.
“I simply can’t bear the thought of losing another brother through a lack of mental health support.”
He said living with a person with dementia was difficult, and the burden was placed entirely on Stephen Bourke’s shoulders when he was in his early to mid-20s – a time when most young men were establishing their own lives.
William Bourke said he believed the isolation of the role, Stephen’s age and the progressive nature of their mother’s disease led to a “total emotional and mental breaking point”.
“For my own healing to begin, I need to know that the mental health crisis that my brother experienced is finally being acknowledged.”
William Bourke said his recovery was tied to the hope that “some small measure of good” could come from the tragedy.
“Specifically, that Stephen receives the clinical support and psychological help that I spent years requesting for him. Knowing he is receiving care for his mental well-being is the only way I can move past the feeling that I failed to protect my family.”
If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111.
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.