A great-grandmother who needs a walking frame to get around and suffers from memory loss says she felt pushed into buying a $26,000 Great Wall ute that she can’t even use. Mary Dewes, 83, hasn’t driven for three years. Her husband Phillip has a brain injury which causes him to constantly fall asleep, meaning he’s unable to drive – but when he responded to an online car ad, salesman Christian Van Lieshaut was quickly on the phone to them. “We got the call, he said he was the salesman and would we like a demonstration run and Phillip said yes,” Mrs Dewes said. “Next thing we know, he was at the door and we were out in the four-wheel drive.” Mrs Dewes said when Mr Van Lieshaut picked them up at their retirement home, he was able to see she needed a walking frame to move about, and in fact had to help her into the car. She claimed they were driven straight to the caryard where a contract was put in front of them. Mrs Dewes said she and her husband felt “pushed into something we didn’t understand”. Her daughter Tracy Loveday said Mrs Dewes suffered memory loss and that by the next day she could not remember signing the contract, and thought she had only put down a deposit of $1000 – rather than the full $26,000 price tag. “My mum won’t even look at the car because it’s too distressing and she ended up in hospital the other day and it’s caused a lot of stress for her,” Ms Loveday said. “That was their life savings and they have nothing left.” Unable to drive the car, the Dewes were also rendered ineligible for the retirement home’s free bus to the shops, meaning they struggled for weeks to buy groceries. “I’m angry with ourselves and I’m angry with that man that did not take anything into consideration,” Mrs Dewes said. “All he wanted was our signature on that contract.” There is no cooling-off period with a new car, so it initially seemed when Mrs Dewes signed the contract that there was no way out. However, Ms Loveday noticed there was a provision in the contract for the dealer to tear it up and keep 10 per cent of the purchase price. She said she rang Mr Van Lieshaut and begged him to do just that, but was denied. Lawyer Christine Smythe, an expert in issues affecting older Australians, said there appeared to be “an awful lot of red flags” preceding the sale. “The salesperson certainly needs some reviewing of sales practices and procedures if he wants to proceed in that line of work,” she said.
June 19, 2019
Amana Living has announced John Langoulant as a new member to its board.
June 19, 2019
A doctor is facing the prospect of years in jail after a jury convicted him of sexually assaulting a vulnerable patient in Bunbury Hospital’s emergency department. Priyantha Dayananda, 49, stood trial in the District Court accused of digitally penetrating the 45-year-old woman during an abdominal examination in December 2017. Dayananda claimed the woman mistakenly identified him as the perpetrator and denied he sent a series of sexual text messages to the woman following the attack from a “secret” phone. But after a seven-day trial and deliberating for almost 10 hours over two days, a jury convicted Dayananda of sexually penetrating the woman without her consent in a majority verdict. During the trial, the court was told Dayananda was on duty at the regional hospital when the woman came to the ED in pain from complications following surgery months earlier. The woman had needed emergency surgery on her abdomen after a former partner kicked her in the stomach, causing issues with a previous gastric banding surgery. It was during that two-week stay, the court was told, that she first met Dayananda, who was one of her treating physicians in his role as a surgical registrar. The woman testified the doctor had paid “special attention” to her, visiting her alone almost daily, asking her out and stroking her hair. After being discharged, she had to return in December after her surgical wound became infected. The victim said it was during this visit that Dayananda pulled the curtains closed, placed her hands on her stomach, and moved his hands into her underwear. She said while he assaulted her, he continued to ask her out while making an inappropriate remark about her cleanliness. “I told him I had to go to the toilet and then ran out of the hospital as fast as possible,” she testified. Judge Belinda Lonsdale granted bail on strict conditions on a $10,000 personal undertaking and $10,000 surety after she was told his family was financially dependent on him and he needed time to get his affairs in order. Dayananda, who held his head in his hands after the verdict, is also required to report to a police station daily. He will be sentenced on June 21.
June 19, 2019
Western Victoria Primary Health Care Network & Fuse Advisory have a s.739 (Application to deal with a dispute) on foot before Commissioner Yilmaz in Court 10 (Primary Court Room) & Court 9 (Conference Room) – Level 5 in Melbourne (Axtens/Urquhart).
June 19, 2019
Civic Disability Services Ltd has a s.739 (Application to deal with a dispute) with which it must deal before Fair Work Commissioner Johns in Chambers in Melbourne (Shuttleworth).
June 19, 2019
A s.185 (Enteprise agreement) application from East Sydney Day Hospital Pty Ltd T/A East Sydney Private Hospital for the East Sydney Private Hospital Nurses’ NSWNMA/ANMF NSW Branch Enterprise Agreement 2018-2020 has been ratified by Fair Work Commissioner Harper-Greenwell, in Melbourne, on 13 June 2019.
June 18, 2019
Tessa Residential Pty Ltd has received notice of a s.394 (Application for unfair dismissal remedy) application listed for hearing before Fair Work Commissioner Simpson in Chambers in Brisbane (Martin).
June 18, 2019
Wilson Medic One has been served with a s.739 (Application to deal with a dispute) breach notice. Fair Work Commissioner Harper-Greenwell in Court 12 – Level 5 and Conference Room A – Level 5 in Melbourne will test the United Voice claim.
