Man who abducted wheelchair-bound partner dies two days after her
A man who abducted his wheelchair-bound partner from a Perth nursing home and attempted to cross the border with her has died just two days after her.
Ralph “Terry” Gibbs, 80, died after his car collided with a utility truck on Wednesday morning south of Bowen, in Queensland’s north.
His death came just 48 hours after that of 84-year-old Carol Lisle, his partner of 15 years.
The 84-year-old, passed away in an aged care facility in Mandurah, Western Australia, where she was living with dementia and Parkinson’s disease.
They died just a week after Mr Gibbs appeared before a Perth magistrate over charges of deprivation of liberty and endangering Ms Lisle’s life, after he took her out of her aged care home in January and tried to drive her across the border during heatwave conditions.
He received a seven-month suspended sentence and a restraining order to prevent him from contacting Ms Lisle.
Outside court, Mr Gibbs described Ms Lisle as “my little sweetheart” and said he fought “for over a year to get her back so we can see each other because she has dementia and may not last much longer”.
A close friend of Ms Lisle, who didn’t want to be named, told the ABC she passed away in the early hours on Monday morning.
Having known Ms Lisle for 24 years, the friend said she was loved and well-looked after at the nursing home, and that she had been very unwell since she was taken by Mr Gibbs in January.
“Carol’s friends are devastated at her passing and believe the separation from her loved ones contributed to her death,” the friend said.
In a statement, Queensland Police said Mr Gibbs was driving north along the Bruce Highway early on Wednesday morning when he collided with the other vehicle which was being driven by a 60-year-old man.
Gibbs died at the scene of the crash, while the other driver was airlifted to a local hospital and is believed to be in a serious condition.
Queensland’s Forensic Crash Unit is investigating the incident.
Image: WA Police