From Newsgroup: uk.legal.moderated

I suppose that, right now, there are two main stories that intrigue us
because we know vital information is missing from the account and we
won't achieve a resolution without it. The one I'm interested in is
the disappearance of a polar explorer whose whereabouts appears only
to be known by the person who holds his Lasting Power of Attorney.

I thought that setting up a Lasting Power of Attorney was supposed to
take away all the worries of growing older/more infirm/both. But this
LPA seems to have been weaponised against the very person it was set
up to protect.

Is there some sort of watertight process that can be used to make sure
the wishes of the subject of an LPA are, as far as possible, carried
out as requested?

I really ought to stop putting off sorting out a LPA for myself but
stories like this give me another excuse for procrastination!

Thanks,

Nick

--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: uk.legal.moderated

On 2026-09-29, Nick Odell <nickodell49@yahoo.ca> wrote:

I suppose that, right now, there are two main stories that intrigue us because we know vital information is missing from the account and we
won't achieve a resolution without it. The one I'm interested in is
the disappearance of a polar explorer whose whereabouts appears only
to be known by the person who holds his Lasting Power of Attorney.

I thought that setting up a Lasting Power of Attorney was supposed to
take away all the worries of growing older/more infirm/both. But this
LPA seems to have been weaponised against the very person it was set
up to protect.

Well, that's what one side of the dispute is saying. But it goes without
saying that you have to trust absolutely the person you are giving power
of attorney to.

Is there some sort of watertight process that can be used to make sure
the wishes of the subject of an LPA are, as far as possible, carried
out as requested?

The attorney and the LPA can be challenged in court on the grounds
that they are acting against the donor's best interests. I imagine
this is not easy however.

--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: uk.legal.moderated

On 30/09/2026 11:24, Jon Ribbens wrote:

On 2026-09-29, Nick Odell <nickodell49@yahoo.ca> wrote:

I suppose that, right now, there are two main stories that intrigue us
because we know vital information is missing from the account and we
won't achieve a resolution without it. The one I'm interested in is
the disappearance of a polar explorer whose whereabouts appears only
to be known by the person who holds his Lasting Power of Attorney.

I thought that setting up a Lasting Power of Attorney was supposed to
take away all the worries of growing older/more infirm/both. But this
LPA seems to have been weaponised against the very person it was set
up to protect.

Well, that's what one side of the dispute is saying. But it goes without saying that you have to trust absolutely the person you are giving power
of attorney to.

It is possible that Fiennes himself doesn't want to be seen in his
present state, and his wife is just carrying out his wishes?

Is there some sort of watertight process that can be used to make sure
the wishes of the subject of an LPA are, as far as possible, carried
out as requested?

The attorney and the LPA can be challenged in court on the grounds
that they are acting against the donor's best interests. I imagine
this is not easy however.

--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: uk.legal.moderated

On Wed, 30 Sep 2026 14:45:03 +0100, GB <NOTsomeone@microsoft.invalid>
wrote:

On 30/09/2026 11:24, Jon Ribbens wrote:

On 2026-09-29, Nick Odell <nickodell49@yahoo.ca> wrote:

I suppose that, right now, there are two main stories that intrigue us
because we know vital information is missing from the account and we
won't achieve a resolution without it. The one I'm interested in is
the disappearance of a polar explorer whose whereabouts appears only
to be known by the person who holds his Lasting Power of Attorney.

I thought that setting up a Lasting Power of Attorney was supposed to
take away all the worries of growing older/more infirm/both. But this
LPA seems to have been weaponised against the very person it was set
up to protect.

Well, that's what one side of the dispute is saying. But it goes without
saying that you have to trust absolutely the person you are giving power
of attorney to.

It is possible that Fiennes himself doesn't want to be seen in his
present state, and his wife is just carrying out his wishes?

I suppose we will just have to see how this plays out - unless it
disappears into obscurity again and we never know. What concerns me
about an ordinary everyday LPA after reading about this case, is that
the lawful outcomes seem to depend an awful lot on goodwill and trust
and not so much on the law - which appears to mostly come into play
during the setting-up process. Yes, it may later be challenged in
court - expensively, I presume since step-son in this case seems to
need to try and crowdfund a challenge. Even so, there seems no
certainty that any court will feel obliged to follow the original
wishes expressed in the LPA.

Is there some sort of watertight process that can be used to make sure
the wishes of the subject of an LPA are, as far as possible, carried
out as requested?

The attorney and the LPA can be challenged in court on the grounds
that they are acting against the donor's best interests. I imagine
this is not easy however.

Nick

--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: uk.legal.moderated

|---------------------------------------------------------------------|
|"[. . .] |
| |
|I thought that setting up a Lasting Power of Attorney was supposed to|
|take away all the worries of growing older/more infirm/both. But this|
|LPA seems to have been weaponised against the very person it was set |
|up to protect. |
| |
|[. . .]" | |---------------------------------------------------------------------|

The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture reports that many
lawyers do not bother to try to help whom they nominally represent.

(S. HTTP://Gloucester.Insomnia247.NL/ fuer Kontaktdaten!)

--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: uk.legal.moderated

In message <119j3p0$9a6p$1@dont-email.me>, at 14:45:03 on Wed, 30 Sep
2026, GB <NOTsomeone@microsoft.invalid> remarked:

I thought that setting up a Lasting Power of Attorney was supposed to
take away all the worries of growing older/more infirm/both. But this
LPA seems to have been weaponised against the very person it was set
up to protect.

Well, that's what one side of the dispute is saying. But it goes
without saying that you have to trust absolutely the person you are >>giving power of attorney to.

It is possible that Fiennes himself doesn't want to be seen in his
present state, and his wife is just carrying out his wishes?

I presume things can get complicated if the attorney, while still
mentally capable themselves, nevertheless pre-deceases the infirm.

This happened to a friend of mine, and I'm still not sure how it was
resolved. Both in their early 70's.
--
Roland Perry

--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2