THE TRIAL of two people in relation to the death of Wexford woman Evelyn Joel heard yesterday that when an official called to her home four months prior to her death, she was initially informed by the woman’s daughter Eleanor that Mrs Joel wasn’t home, when in fact she was upstairs in her bed.
Barbara Foley, environmental health officer with Enniscorthy Town Council, told Wexford Circuit Court she had visited Mrs Joel a number of times.
She had called to see Mrs Joel in 2004 to see if she was eligible for rent allowance. In July 2005, she called to Cluain Dara, Enniscorthy, where Mrs Joel (59) was now living with her daughter Eleanor and Eleanor’s partner. She was shown upstairs to Mrs Joel’s room, which she described as dirty.
On September 23rd, 2005, Ms Foley again called to the house, this time with a rent collector for Enniscorthy Town Council, Eddie Doyle, who told her he was unable to get into the house and felt he could follow her in, as she had been into the house previously. The court heard that Eleanor Joel and her partner were behind in their rent at the time.
“Eleanor told me she [Evelyn] wasn’t in,” Ms Foley said.
Upon inquiring where Mrs Joel was, Ms Foley entered the house.
“When I got upstairs and looked in all the bedrooms I found Evelyn in the bed.”
Ms Foley said the house was dirty on both occasions she visited it, adding that it was dirtier on the second visit.
The floor of Mrs Joel’s box room was dirty, with food caked into the carpet. Mrs Joel’s hair had become much greyer since the previous visit and it was caked into her head, Ms Foley said, adding that Mrs Joel was covered in her duvet and her hands and face looked gaunt. Ms Foley said there was a bad smell of urine in the room.
She said she discussed the condition of the house with the public health nurse for the area, adding that she told the nurse she had been informed Mrs Joel wasn’t being given hot drinks and could wait long periods without food as Eleanor allegedly only fed her when it suited her, and that Mrs Joel was extremely unhappy.
On January 5th, 2006, Ms Foley visited the house again as Mrs Joel was being cared for at Wexford General Hospital. On this occasion she noticed a little improvement in the house and a big improvement in Evelyn’s room.
Ms Joel’s daughter Eleanor (37) and her partner, Jonathan Costen (39), both deny two charges relating to the death of Mrs Joel, a multiple sclerosis sufferer, who was living with them at their home at Cluain Dara in Enniscorthy. Both Eleanor Joel and Mr Costen deny a charge of unlawful killing of her mother on January 7th, 2006, by neglect, causing her to die of pneumonia, complicating sepsis syndrome due to infected pressure sores due to immobilisation due to MS.
They also deny a charge of reckless endangerment of her mother on a date unknown between December 1st, 2005, and January 1st, 2006, contrary to section 13 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997.
The trial continues.