A "love struck" 80-year-old man who took his dementia-suffering partner from a Perth nursing home and tried to drive her to Queensland has pleaded guilty to unlawfully detaining a person with a mental illness.
Ralph "Terry" Gibbs was arrested two days after he took 84-year-old Carol Lisle, from the home in Mandurah in Perth's south, on January 2 this year.
He drove across Western Australia before police found him and Ms Lisle 90 kilometres from the Northern Territory border in 43 degree heat.
Ms Lisle, who suffers from dementia and Parkinsons disease, was still wearing the same clothes she was in the day she was taken and she had to be airlifted to Perth for medical treatment.
Gibbs was originally charged with deprivation of liberty and endangering the life of a person, but today in the Perth Magistrates Court the charge was downgraded to unlawful detention and he pleaded guilty.
Partner snatched when staff distracted
The court was told Gibbs and Ms Lisle had been living together for 15 years in Queensland before she was moved by a family member to Western Australia.
In late December, Gibbs decided to come to Perth to visit her, but he only formed the intention to take her and travel back to Queensland in the days before.
He purchased a utility and 11 jerry cans full of fuel before removing her from the home while the staff were distracted.
He also had a paper map of Australia with a marked route to Queensland through the middle of Western Australia and the Northern Territory.
The police prosecutor said witnesses who saw the couple during their journey described Gibbs as appearing disoriented and unsure of where he had come from.
In Kalgoorlie, witnesses said they saw Ms Lisle being left in the car in hot conditions.
The prosecutor said when the couple was found, they were in what he described as "tough country" that was suitable only for a four-wheel drive.
Gibbs had only had a quarter of a tank of diesel and two jerry cans of fuel left.
Restraining order issued
Gibbs' lawyer Matthew Blackburn said his client made the decision to take Ms Lisle after she told him she wanted to get out of the home.
"He made a poorly thought-out decision." Mr Blackburn said.
Mr Blackburn said Gibbs was not having any further contact with Ms Lisle because a restraining order was in place and he now just wanted to return to Queensland, where he has family support.
While Mr Blackburn submitted that a fine was appropriate, the prosecutor argued a suspended jail term was called for, describing the crime as "pre-meditated" and saying Gibbs' actions could have had "grave" consequences.
Gibbs, who spent time in custody after his arrest, had his bail renewed until he is sentenced next week.
