Outrage as ‘inhumane’ Sweden DEPORTS bedridden British Alzheimer’s sufferer, 74, and separates her from her family – just because her passport has expired
- Helpless Kathleen Poole faces being ripped away from her family in Sweden
- The widow, 74, moved to the country to be closer to her son and grandchildren
- She developed Alzheimer’s 11 years ago and has been unable to get a passport
An elderly British woman with Alzheimer’s, who cannot walk or talk, is to be ripped away from her loved ones and deported from Sweden because she can’t get an up-to-date passport in a move branded ‘cruel’ and ‘deeply shocking’.
Widow Kathleen Poole, 74, moved to Sweden from Macclesfield, Cheshire, 18 years ago to be close to her son, Wayne, his Swedish wife, Angelica and their four children.
But the bed-ridden pensioner developed dementia 11 years ago and has been in a care home for the past decade. She is now so incapacitated by the degenerative illness she cannot feed herself or go to the bathroom unaided.
Now the helpless grandmother faces being kicked out of the country after her family’s bid for her to stay was rejected. Mrs Poole’s loved ones had told authorities she didn’t have a passport because she was too ill to travel and didn’t need one.
However, their pleas appear to have fallen on deaf ears, with officials from the British Embassy in Stockholm telling them on Friday Swedish police had been in touch ‘pressing’ it to find a care home in the UK for Mrs Poole.
Widow Kathleen Poole, 74, (centre) moved to Sweden from Macclesfield 18 years ago to be close to her son, Wayne (right), his Swedish wife, Angelica (left) and their four children
Her family say they have not updated her passport as she is bed-bound and can no longer travel. Mrs Poole is pictured in her bed at her care home in Sweden
‘It is impossible to say how long it will take but when we have found a care home willing to receive your mum, the police will give us a travel date and we will have to issue an emergency passport,’ an official at the embassy told the Pooles, The Guardian reported.
Mrs Poole’s son and daughter-in-law labelled the treatment as inhumane, with Angelica saying her 11-year-old son now feared police would snatch his grandmother away.
‘It is the children who are affected. They are not the ones who have to deal with their anxiety and nightmares,’ she said.
Campaigners have lashed out at the decision by the Swedish authorities, with Labour MP Hilary Benn branding the move ‘deeply shocking’.
While Councillor Laura Jeuda, who represents Macclesfield South at Cheshire East Council, also hit out.
She told MailOnline: ‘I think it’s shocking. It’s very cruel… I’m really surprised at Sweden. We know them for being very caring – they’re social care is really good.
‘It’s just bizarre they should pick on a woman of that age who has this added complication of dementia.
‘We don’t know what will happen to that poor woman if she’s ripped away from her family and taken to a strange county she won’t remember.’
In happier times: Mrs Poole cuddles one of her grandchildren. She now faces being ripped from her family and deported to the UK, having not lived there for 18 years
‘Cruel’ and ‘deeply shocking’: Labour MP Hilary Benn (left) and local councillor Laura Jeuda, who represents Macclesfield South at Cheshire East Council, have lashed out at the move by Sweden to deport Mrs Poole, formerly from Macclesfield
Mrs Poole developed dementia 11 years ago and has been in a care home for the past decade. She is now so incapacitated by the degenerative illness she cannot feed herself or go to the bathroom unaided
The Labour councillor called on Whitehall to step in and oppose the decision by the Swedish authorities.
Branding the fiasco as ‘another downside of Brexit’, Cllr Jeuda added: ‘We need to get something from government on this, otherwise what are we saying about our old people – that they really don’t matter?’
Under the withdrawal agreement for Brexit, UK citizens living in the EU before the 2016 referendum were granted the right to remain.
However, in several countries, it involved completing applications and paperwork to prove historical rights under free movement rules.
A spokesperson for the Swedish government has said it was ‘against the law’ to comment on any immigration matter.
A spokesperson for the UK Foreign Office added it was ‘supporting’ Mrs Poole and her family.
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