Woman arrested for taking mum, 97, from care home

A retired nurse was arrested after she removed her 97-year-old mother from a care home before lockdown began.

Ylenia Angeli, 73, said she took "drastic action" due to a lack of face-to-face contact during the pandemic.

She said she wanted to care for her mother, who has dementia, herself. She was returned to the home and Ms Angeli was released without further action.

Humberside Police said it was called to reports of an assault. The care home has declined to comment.

The Prime Minister's official spokesman said they "understand how difficult the current situation is" and would be publishing new guidance to enable more visits to take place in a safe and "Covid-secure" environment.

Ms Angeli, from Market Weighton, was later de-arrested and the force said it was their "legal duty" to return her mother to the care home.

The incident took place on Tuesday as Ms Angeli visited her mother with her daughter, former Coronation Street actress Leandra Ashton, who filmed the arrest.

Ms Ashton said her mother, who previously lived in Shetland, had been pushed to "breaking point" because they had been unable to see her grandmother for nine months.

She said: "When we got there things just escalated. We didn't plan it, it was just a moment of high emotions."

Ms Ashton said the family had been allowed "window visits" or Skype calls but these had caused too much distress to her grandmother.

"Because the home are now stopping window visits due to the lockdown, we we were desperate to see her," she explained.

"My mum has wanted to look after for her for a very long time and it just seemed like an opportunity to physically take her."

Ms Ashton, from York, appeared in Coronation Street in 2016 as Saskia Larson, whose fiance Will Chatterton had an affair with wedding planner Michelle Connor.

She said the family only had power of attorney over her grandmother's finances but not her health and wellbeing.

"Every attempt to see my Nan has been met with inflexibility," she said.

"Other homes have been creative in how they've allowed relatives to visit but we've just constantly hit a brick wall.

"These are such desperate times and there doesn't seem to be a rational explanation as to why we can't find a safe way."

In a statement, Assistant Chief Constable Chris Noble, of Humberside Police, said the force responded to "a report of an assault at a care home" in Market Weighton at 11:15 GMT on Tuesday.

He added: "The care home had also reported that a woman who they were legally responsible for had been taken from the home by her daughter.

"Officers found both women along with a third woman nearby and informed them that they would need to return the lady to the home, as is their legal duty to do so.

"The situation was distressing and emotional for everyone and the woman did not want her mother to be returned to the care home staff."

ACC Noble said officers "briefly" restrained Mrs Agneli until the situation was under control.

The spokesman at Downing Street said there was not a "one-size-fits all answer unfortunately" to whether families could take their loved ones out of care homes.

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