An inquest into the death of an elderly woman housed in a near-freezing Tasmanian shipping container has been told she needed high-level care. Janet Mackozdi, 77, died of hypothermia in July 2010 while spending one night sleeping in the converted container at her daughter and son-in-law’s Mount Lloyd property. Five years later, Jassy Anglin and husband Michael Anglin were convicted of Ms Mackozdi’s manslaughter. An inquest into her death is examining broader issues of elder abuse and whether her family withheld care intentionally and depleted her money for their personal use. On Tuesday, it heard from a social worker who gave an aged care assessment of Ms Mackozdi the year before her death after she had fractured her neck. Social worker Merrilyn Orr found she needed “a high level of care” and assistance eating. Ms Orr said it was her opinion 24-hour care was required even after Ms Mackozdi’s neck brace was removed. She had dementia and mobility problems and weighed just 40kg. Ms Mackozdi was placed in a bed in the shipping container on a July night in 2010 as the family’s dilapidated hut was full of boxes from moving house. It is estimated the temperature dropped to as low as 0.1C overnight. Ms Mackozdi’s body was found the next morning. The Anglins drove her to Royal Hobart Hospital but initially claimed she had died on a road trip to Mount Field National Park. On Monday, Constable Nicholas Monk, said the converted shipping container had inch-wide gaps around the door. Ms Mackozdi’s financial planners, as well as doctors, health staff and friends and family, are expected to give evidence to the inquest.
