Widow, 71, spends fortune on sex

 July 13, 2014 12:00AM
AN elderly widower who married a prostitute almost half his age, after proposing to five other women, has failed to prove his capacity to manage his own affairs.
After his first wife died in 2002 the man, now 83, began relationships with prostitutes and gave away thousands of dollars, Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal was told.
His children saw him change from a “kind, gentle, devoted father and prudent lawyer’’ to someone fixated on pornography and prostitutes, the tribunal heard.
The children said he made “ill-judged’’ marriage proposals to his niece, two housekeepers, a Turkish girl and a prostitute who agreed to marry him but not live with him.
She wanted the elderly man to live in a retirement home and the man’s children claim she misappropriated $150,000.
His bank account details showed $26,000 was paid to another woman’s account and he gave $40,000 to another prostitute, who repaid him and later married him.
The tribunal heard his second wife gave up prostitution soon after meeting him in 2010, when she was 41, and they married and moved with her children to Queensland in 2012.
The man went to the tribunal, after the Public Trustee of Queensland and Adult Guardian were appointed to look after his financial affairs and contacts.
A psychiatrist who assessed him in 2011 found he was at risk of being influenced because of his willingness to hand over money and his vulnerability to sexual bargaining.
The man’s GP reported he had the ability to make his own decisions and a psychiatrist last year said he showed good understanding of his finances.
But tribunal member Julie Ford said she was not satisfied he had the capacity to manage his entire financial portfolio.
“He made significant decisions that adversely affect his security and would have continued to do so without intervention,’’ Ms Ford said.
She ordered the Public Trustee to be administrator for all financial matters and the Adult Guardian to be responsible for decisions about contact with his children.