Court hears of escalating costs for frail woman’s stay at place of safety

Hope Shepherd's R13 000-a-month stay at Lily Kirchman had ballooned to R18 000 by the time she was removed to a place of safety.

The rising cost were as a result of medication the 84-year-old woman needed to care for her injuries she sustained in the hands of her primary care giver Ncediswa Mkenkcele.

This was a testimoney of Shepherd's daughter Bernice Robertson this morning in the East London Regional Court.

Mkenkcele resigned from the upmarket home soon after video-footage of her viciously attacking the elderly woman emerged is on trial and faces five counts of assault.

Robertson told the court initially when she took her mother to the upmarket home she was paying R13 300.00 a month for her money to be cared for and loved.

However when she started developing bruises and a broken arm, the family forked out more for these to be treated.

"We were paying out about R18000 a month as a result of the medication for injuries she sustained due to the assaults," Robertson said.

The trial will continue on Friday.

Shepherd died in December last year, months after she had been removed from Lily Kirchman. She was 85.

The assaults were captured on a hidden camera placed in Shepherd’s room by Robertson in 2014 when she became suspicious of her mother’s constant and unexplained injuries.

After witnessing the brutal assaults on camera, Robertson approached the home’s management before laying a complaint with police. She then removed her mother from the home.