Elderly man trapped under tree in Cornwall forest for 12 hours
Police dogs have helped to rescue a man who was trapped under a fallen tree for nearly 12 hours.The man in his 70s had left his home at about 13:30 BST on Saturday to chop wood in a forest in west Cornwall and was reported missing at 22:30 when he had not returned.Police officers and dog handlers searched the wooded area which was too dense for the police helicopter to scan.Devon and Cornwall Police Supt Ian Thompson said a dog unit found the man "pinned to the ground by a felled tree deep within the forest" at about 00:40.
'Difficult terrain'
He said the man had been treated by paramedics for minor injuries and brought to safety by fire and rescue crews.Supt Thompson thanked the staff in the force control room for coordinating the search and officers on the ground that had helped the other emergency service workers to reach the man in the remote location.He said: "It is without doubt that officers' actions helped to save this man's life."I'd like to thank all the officers and staff involved in the search. They were faced with difficult terrain and challenging circumstances, but their determination and persistence led to this positive outcome."
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'No doubt Doreen was worried about the prospect of going into a home, then was asked to undergo the capacity assessment, and put two and two together." Within weeks of the assessment, which resulted in a report stating she "lacked capacity", she had begun steps to revoke the power of attorney and make a new will in Simon and Catherine's favour, he told the judge. Quizzing Patricia Chiswick in the witness box, he added: "Doreen loved her home and it had been her and Samuel's home before his death. There was a deep emotional connection to that property. "Saying to Doreen that she should leave that property and spend some time in a care home was offensive to her, wasn't it? "From Doreen's perspective, this must have looked a real threat to her independence." But Patricia denied upsetting the pensioner, insisting that the plan was only ever for a short break in a care home while she and her husband went on holiday. "It was simply a suggestion because we don't usually go away for three weeks at a time, and I think she had been quite unwell and her health was deteriorating in general," she said. "I was concerned about leaving her and I thought it would be quite nice if she could go somewhere where she could be looked after while we were away. "It was absolutely stressed that it was for three weeks. There was no suggestion she was going to stay there indefinitely." The Chiswicks did not visit Doreen again between the capacity assessment in 2019 and her death in May 2021. For Patricia's son Ben, who is the claimant in the case, barrister Simon Lane said that, at the time she made the new will, she was 'vulnerable and was behaving out of character'. The 2019 assessment conducted after the suggestion of a care home move had resulted in an expert's finding that she "lacked capacity", he said. 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He had not seen her again or even spoken on the phone after moving to the US, while most of the evidence of their relationship came from when he was a child. On the other hand, Simon and Catherine had been able to visit her regularly, living not far from her in Eltham, south London, he said. "The court can be surprised neither by the making of the disputed will, nor by Doreen's choice of beneficiaries," he added. The judge is expected to give her ruling on the case at a later date.
