Elderly woman living in squalor has capacity to make unwise decisions, court told

The judge refused to send a court-appointed doctor to assess the woman's capacity because he said there was no evidence at this stage to justify such a serious order.

A judge has refused to initiate a wardship inquiry in the case of an elderly woman living in "squalor" with no running water or electricity after a psychiatrist concluded she has capacity to make "unwise" decisions about her living conditions.

"Eccentricity is not a basis for invoking the wardship jurisdiction," High Court president Mr Justice Peter Kelly said today.