Ottawa Police Useless on Eldery Abuse






Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak No Evil on Assault

An elderly woman is denied medical treatment, access to her son and basic care. She suffers from neglect, physical and verbal abuse. The case is reported to the police, but no action is taken against the perpetrator. It sounds like something out of a horror story. Who would believe that this drama is playing itself out in modern-day Ottawa? Most shocking of all, two police officers, Detective Isabelle Coady and Sergeant Chris Rolof stand accused of mismanaging the situation in a way that could endanger the life of the victim.

Police action aggravates situation for elder in distress


Around the middle of April, an Ottawa man called the police after witnessing his father assaulting his elderly mother. On arriving at the scene, officers interviewed the victim in the presence of her alleged abuser in clear breach of police protocol. Unsurprisingly, the victim, intimidated by the presence of her husband, failed to confirm the incident or press charges.

Caregiver evicted by police


The elderly victim of the abuse, a woman of over 80 years old, suffers from ataxia, a degenerative muscular condition that limits her ability to speak or move around unassisted, and high blood pressure. As a result, she is dependent on a caregiver – the son who reported the assault to the police.

Furious that the incident had been reported, the father demanded that he police assist with the immediate eviction of his own son. They duly complied with this demand at 2:00AM that morning, thus assisting in the eviction of the victim’s caregiver and leaving her in a highly vulnerable position.

The victim’s son reports that his father had previously left his mother without food or water for a full day and that he refused to monitor his wife’s blood pressure according to doctors’ instructions. On one occasion, when the woman’s son found her unconscious and unable to breathe, his father objected to calling emergency services and called him ‘alarmist’ for doing so. The Ottawa man is now concerned that his mother will not receive appropriate care and that the physical abuse he witnessed will continue and intensify.

A history of domestic violence

The man who stands accused of abusing his elderly spouse is no stranger to domestic violence. In 2013, he attacked his son with a kitchen knife during an argument. In defending himself, the son’s finger was nearly severed. He did not press charges at the time, but is currently following up the incident in order to obtain the evidence he needs for the police to take his mother’s predicament seriously.

Pitiful call for help

It’s written in shaky handwriting on the back of a chocolate box: “I miss you. Dad treats me wicked”. This pitiful call for help was received by the woman’s son on the last occasion they had contact with one another. According to him, it’s not the first time he has received a note from his mother reporting abuse. Frantic with worry, he is nevertheless barred from entering his father’s property to see his mother and the police are supporting the father as property owner.

Mother denied access to son


The person who informed The Canadian of this state of affairs reports that although the woman has repeatedly requested access to her son, the father is adamant that he may not enter his property. On contacting the police, the son was informed that the father "has the right" to treat his wife as an extension of his property since she is unable to leave the premises. He alleges that Detective Coady was approached to facilitate a meeting on Mothers’ day, but that the request was ignored.

Medical concerns not addressed

According to sources, the elderly woman’s son has reported his concerns for his mother’s health directly to Detective Isabelle Coady. She requires a specific diet, regular assisted exercise, frequent monitoring of blood pressure and has been recommended speech therapy. He is convinced that none of these recommendations are being followed and has requested that Social Services be consulted in order to evaluate his mother’s situation. Detective Coady assured him that this would be accomplished, but no action has been taken at time of writing.

Rights violated


The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms includes the rights to freedom of association and mobility rights. A woman is being denied these rights on the grounds that she is too infirm to venture away from the property unassisted. 

The man has effectively denied his wife the rights of mobility and freedom of association guaranteed by the Charter.  Furthermore, his refusal of his wife’s requests to see her son (and other people) constitutes forcible confinement as defined by the Canadian Criminal Code.

Community shocked

Members of the community who are aware of the woman’s predicament have expressed their shock and horror, but are uncertain of how to proceed. They are aware that calling the police exacerbated her circumstances in the first place and are concerned that intervention will result in further worsening of her circumstances. They hope that increased awareness of this situation will prompt appropriate action by Detective Coady and her superiors in the Ottawa Police.


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