A reclusive Christchurch man who was his mother’s sole caregiver killed her in bed with a sword, a coroner has found.
Nicholas McIlraith, 46, then took his own life, with police only discovering their bodies in their Riccarton home weeks later, the day after his mother Beverley McIlraith’s 80th birthday.
Officers had gone to the house to do a welfare check, after relatives could not reach her by phone. Flowers and a parcel had not been collected from the front door.
In a report released on Wednesday, Coroner Katharine Greig found the McIlraiths died on or about 6-7 March 2022.
Evidence from the scene showed Beverley McIlraith was attacked on her bed by her son, who struck her multiple times with a sword that was found in the garage.
The coroner found Nicholas, commonly known as Nick, died by suicide, but she could not reach a conclusion as to why he killed his mother.
“It is quite possible that he became overwhelmed with the level of ongoing care he needed to provide to his mother and in this context he made the fatal attack. It is also possible that his mother’s declining health (mental and/or physical) upset Nick deeply,” she said.
“It is apparent that by the time Mrs McIlraith died, her care needs were considerable and had been for some time. She was reliant on Nick for care with all activities of daily living – including personal hygiene, food preparation, laundry, shopping, monitoring of her diabetes, ensuring she had her medication (including daily insulin) and so on.
“In the final analysis it is not known why Nick attacked his mother and inflicted fatal injuries.”
Beverley and Nick McIlraith lived in a three-storey duplex townhouse owned by a family trust. Nick had lived with his mother for more than 20 years.
She was suffering from dementia and her poor mobility meant she was essentially housebound and confined to her third floor bedroom.
Coroner Greig said Nick’s brother Matthew McIlraith described him and his mother as very close.
“Matthew said that from what he had observed, Nick genuinely cared for his mother and appeared to be looking after her and doing his best. He had never thought Nick posed a threat in any way to his mother,” she said.
“However, he described the state of the house as ‘pretty disgusting’. He said that he and his other siblings would have preferred for Mrs McIlraith to be in a rest home — in part because his mother was old and frail and the house was not suitable as she had a bedroom on the third floor, which wasn’t ideal or very safe. However, Nick did not want her to go into a rest home.”
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Matthew McIIraith described his brother as quite controlling of his mother, who had a number of long-term medical conditions, and reluctant to let anyone into the house.
The coroner said health professionals dealing with Beverley McIlraith encouraged her and Nick to accept home-based care and to consider respite care, but this help was largely refused.
Both mother and son were observed to be somewhat reclusive and private.
The coroner said Beverley McIlraith’s general practitioner last visited her in January 2022 and reported that although it was far from an ideal situation, she appeared to be in good spirits and clearly did not want anyone interfering in her life.
“None of the healthcare providers who had contact with her raised concern that her mental capacity was sufficiently affected by the diagnosed dementia that she was not competent to express her views on these issues,” the coroner said.
While there were concerns from Beverley McIIraith’s extended family and health professionals that her living situation was less than ideal, and some concern about Nick’s ability to care for her, the evidence showed she was content living at home with her son and wanted to remain there, the coroner said.
“The evidence shows that health professionals dealing with Mrs McIlraith acted professionally and responsively despite the difficulties they had engaging with Mrs McIlraith and Nick,” she said.
The coroner said Beverley and Nick McIIraith’s deaths were a tragedy for their family and concerning and destabilising for those who cared for her and the wider community.
“It is tempting to say with the benefit of hindsight, ‘if only someone had intervened, this tragedy may have been prevented’. However, as is set out in these findings, when and on what basis such an intervention might have been made is not clear,” she said.
“Mrs McIlraith and Nick were reclusive, and offers of help were rebuffed. Notwithstanding this, Mrs McIlraith’s health and care needs were being monitored as was Nick’s capacity to provide the care she required. Nick was aware of the help that was available to Mrs McIlraith and how to access it. No one had identified that Nick posed a risk to his mother or that he may have been ‘at the end of his tether’.”
By Anna Sargent of rnz.co.nz