[SPCI-6] "I fear my father was euthanised, and I was told not to use that word at the Scottish Covid Inquiry. They did not like me using that word... They don't like the truth..."

Bill Jolly on what happened to his father during the covid era

Apr 30, 2025

Dear Church Leaders (and everyone else)

This is post #6 in a series featuring presentations at the recent Scottish People’s Covid Inquiry (SPCI, as distinct from the official Scottish Covid Inquiry).

This one is from Bill Jolly, who worked in the oil industry for 25 years, discussing what happened to his father during the covid era.

A transcript featuring occasional additional input is below.

My father in hospital

My earliest awareness of a full lockdown at the Cowdray Club Care Home in Aberdeen was when I had to cancel taking my father to an optician’s appointment on the 17th March 2020. No residents were being allowed out, and no visitors allowed in. Information at that time was very vague and no-one seemed to know what was going on.
On 11th April 2020 the home was in full lockdown. My father had two falls in his care home, both resulting in head injuries The first was to the front of his head and reported as not serious. And the second was at 11pm, resulting in a substantial cut to the rear of his head. My mother found him lying in the bathroom, and there was a substantial amount of blood on the floor. An ambulance was called for, and my father was blue-lighted by ambulance to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, which is ARI.

There was no access to ARI. I tried numerous times to ascertain my father’s condition. I managed to get a call with information at half past six that morning. On arrival, my father was found to have full bladder retention and a urine infection that had been missed by his care home, and that was blamed for his dizziness, hence his repeated collapse. I told the hospital doctor at that time there was covid in the care home, and they actually seemed unaware. I was told my father didn’t qualify for covid testing as he had no symptoms. However, they decided to do it later, and they found him to be covid-19 positive.
In the three days my father was in ARI he sustained very serious head and body injuries requiring stitching… Later on, when he returned to his care home, I asked for some more photographs. I then saw the extent of his injuries. His head was horribly swollen and stitched. And his elbows and knees were also torn and had been patched up. The hospital called me to say they were taking over my father’s medical decision processes and [that] my power of attorney was void. They had been given special government powers. This has never been explained to me. I told them my father shared a room with my mother who also had dementia in the same care home, and I worried about her being at risk of covid. I also worried about the staff, because I had quite a close contact with some of them.
13th April… still another call from the hospital, to say my father’s mental health was apparently deteriorating. He’d had two more falls onto his face and his head, and another one ripped his skin on his knees and elbows. I complained, “This is very dangerous and appeared to be being neglected.” This was disputed angrily.

My father discharged back to his care home

I was shocked to be told they were going to discharge my father back to his care home because “that’s where he lived”, I was told. I was also told my father was now doubly incontinent… incoherent… had memory failure, and had these head and face injuries. He now had numerous stitch patch repairs on his face. A nurse told me at that time he was in very poor state. I asked why they had not put bed restraints on to stop him falling out of bed, and they said, “Well that protocol has to be passed by various procedures.”
Same day, 13th April… the care home manager called me to confirm my father was indeed being discharged to his care home. I was horrified… made my objections as forceful as possible, but they were in vain. My father would be discharged despite his injuries and his covid-19. I asked if a risk assessment was done. I worked in the oil industry for 25 years and we lived by risk assessment. And this was a no. It was ignored. The hospital wanted to discharge my father regardless, and the care home accepted this decision. Both the hospital doctors and the care home manager put me in my place. And by that I mean firmly. I was told it was none of my business. I had no rights whatsoever. It was happening as soon as possible.
My father’s discharge was rescheduled to the next day which was 14th April due to “logistical problems” — I think it was down to transport. On 14th April at 9:15 I had a phone call to say my father was on his way to the Cowdray Club Care Home. I immediately phoned the care home, and they were not aware my father was actually en route. I demanded my father was isolated, pending being clear of covid, to protect my mother. This was initially refused by the manager on the assumption [of] “Well she would probably have covid anyway.” I requested an email to accept responsibility for the decision. The care home manager did back down and agreed to isolate my father temporarily. Here I must admit as well I also worried about… not just my mother [but] the staff and the other residents. I warned the care manager about the apparent shocking state of my father’s head injuries and his mental state and [that] the physical condition would scare my mother… as they shared [a] room. I later found out [from] my own investigation there was no conversation between the hospital consultant and the care home manager There was no handover… no medical directives. My father was allocated a small attic room which would have been like a jail sentence. He must have been terrified.

My father was still mobile at this early time. He tried numerous times to escape his room. He still had no glasses, so he was relatively blind. I asked staff for him to get his glasses many times, but they never appeared. They must have been lost.
My father on his arrival and later that week was reported to me by people I spoke in the home. He’d been shouting for help. He’d been found crawling around on his hands and knees in his room and trying to get out of his room to get to a toilet in the corridor. I was not allowed to visit him, and there was no actual way to converse. I was told he was in a poor mental state… incoherent… mentally impaired. I told the care home manager my father should be returned to hospital. This was ignored and denied. They kept him.
Around four days later I was informed my father had taken a turn for the worse and was now very agitated. They then mentioned using drugs to help [him]. This is when I first heard the dreaded words JIC – “just in case” drugs midazolam and morphine. They introduced that without my father actually seeing a doctor from the time he was discharged from hospital. And I only again found this out on getting notes from the care home. I had assumed a GP was visiting or had been involved directly. I believe these powerful debilitating drugs were used to confine my father in his room. I fear he was euthanised, and I was told not to use that word at the Scottish Covid Inquiry. They did not like me using that word. The KC told me, “We don’t like that word.” Well, I’m using it here… [Applause]… They don’t like the truth. And I know that. I’ve got more to tell you about the Scottish Covid Inquiry. That’s coming up.
My father was now reported to be dying, and I was offered a sole visit, but I would only be allowed to look in the door. I was warned that covid was rife in the home. There were subsequently seven deaths I knew of out of 28 in that care home attributed to covid. I had been on heavy antibiotics myself and had poor immunity as a result. And the advice from a nurse I trusted in the home was not to come in. And my family said the same. The fear was so high at that time I reluctantly decided not to go in.
I found the care home manager was off with covid when I tried to get him. And the temporary lady manageress then did a harrowing goodbye Skype call with my father to myself and my wife, and then my sister and her husband. My father was in a terrible state. He was dried out. He was wearing a polo shirt in bed… had grotesque ladies sheepskin mitts on his hands. I was told he’d said they were cold, which I didn’t quite…. understand, but they were black. My father was totally unresponsive… unconscious… despite the manageress oddly throwing his hands about and asking him to respond. It was totally horrific, and I took snapshots on my phone…

My father’s death

The Renaissance Care Area Manager, not the [care] home manager, phoned me at 8:30 on the morning of 26th April to say my father had died early that morning. His death certificate stated 1am in the morning. No doctors, as I say, saw my father.
The care home manager at the Cowdray, who had been off for around six days with covid, and had surprisingly returned to work early, called me later that day to state he was with my father at the end of life… been with him as he peacefully passed away. I disputed this as I knew he was not on night duty. There was a pause silence and then he apologised. On my stating this, he said indeed he had lied. He wasn’t with my father when he died at the end, but he thought it would make me feel better. I told him this was a serious lie. It added to the distress and the horrible death I and my wife had witnessed my father endure. And I lost all confidence in the manager and the management at that time.
On his death, my father was treated as contaminated waste. He was removed from his bed and the clothes he had on. He was put in a body bag in a sealed trunk, and transported to the undertaker’s that morning. The undertaker himself told me this. His clothing and personal effects were regarded as contaminated and were to be destroyed. At the undertaker’s there was no embalming due to covid. My father’s wooden coffin was sealed. There were serious restrictions in place and a long wait for a cremation.
I then [had] to tell my mother, who had Alzheimer’s, that my father had died, and this was done on a telephone call… I was not allowed access. She eventually understood what I was saying… went hysterical… threw the phone down. It was absolutely dreadful. My mother, despite her dementia, looked for my father in the home for a few days, then forgot, remembering only momentarily after that. My Mum and Dad met when she was only 14, so they’d been together as a couple for 72 years, which is fairly unique in these modern days.
We got my Mum up to see my father in isolation for the last time just before his death when he was unconscious, but she only got to the door. She never mentioned it. My mother had a stroke a few months after this, and after a few hospital stays died on 19th November 2020. So five months later… six months… In that time I was only allowed to hold her hand in hospital once, as a nurse actually wept watching me in distress. She said, “Just go hold your Mum’s hand.” We were ordered at that time like everyone else to be two metres apart.

I am reminded of this:

My mother, despite her stroke and near-closed eyes, recognised me, gripped my hand and would not let go. It was terrible. The next time I saw and touched my mother was the day before she died. She was lying in an attic room in the care home in the same corridor where my father had passed away.

My father’s funeral

My father’s funeral was on the 6th of May, and we were allowed 18 mourners at Aberdeen Crematorium car park. The cars had to be parked three spaces apart. There was to be no mingling of attendees. We waited in the East Chapel car park, and the hearse with a bier coffin, my father on board, arrived. I had asked that they stop opposite my car, and only my sister and I were given permission to approach the hearse. I’d been told that I could touch the coffin, but would need to be supervised by the hearse staff. I would have to put on an apron, a new mask and gloves, and gel my hands before and after, and then it would be disposed of. It would have to be done very quickly due to time constraints. And I decided the stress was too much. I didn’t do it The flowers we intended were regarded as futile by the undertakers because they would be removed immediately and destroyed. They would not be displayed.
So we had 10 minutes of the hearse in the car park, and off it went to the industrial side of the crematorium — we were told this — so the coffin could be removed promptly. We the mourners managed to shout back and forth… distanced… and [were] told we had to rapidly disperse. And that was the end of my father’s service. I also had difficulties with my family [in terms of] explaining the attendee numbers. My father was one of nine, so there was a lot of family still alive. However, some of them turned up against the ruling and were on the grassy bank at the back of the crematorium watching this surreal, horrible thing happen.

I am reminded of this clip from Milton Keynes in October 2020, which is well worth watching or re-watching here (0:16-0:44; the link should go the right place in the video):

My father's death certificate

I disputed my father’s death certificate when the doctor called me. It stated coronavirus disease 2019 as a primary cause. I said in my view the head injuries he received in Aberdeen Royal Infirmary after his initial falls were far more serious, as could be seen in the photos I took on the goodbye Skype call. The only evidence I had at the state… my father’s head was barely deformed at one side. It was grotesque. My father had a very swollen head and should never have been discharged from ARI. And the care home manager, against my advance, took him back in a condition when he could not provide medical care. They all failed in their duty of care.
The doctor told me that an objection would halt the planned cremation, and there were consequences. So I declined making a formal complaint, as the stress at that point on me was enormous… I’m getting phone calls from family… anybody that’s been involved in this… it’s not just you. Other family members are expecting you to be doing the right thing and to be reacting in a way that they expect you to do. So I was under enormous pressure.

Complaints

I lodged formal complaints with Renaissance Care and Aberdeen Royal Infirmary as well as the Care Inspectorate and the Scottish government directly to… Nicola Sturgeon. It would take far too long to expand on what happened here. I rejected a letter of response to my complaint from Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. The head of infectious diseases, Dr Laing, offered my wife and I a face-to-face meeting. We went to the meeting and after the usual (in my view) covid restrictions protocol waffle I stopped the meeting and said, “Look, as head of infectious diseases at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, do you think it was appropriate to send my father, with serious visible head injuries, and with live covid, back into his care home?” I then got the answer I’d been waiting for: “No, it was not the correct decision.” And we eventually received an apology letter from NHS Grampian. This took many, many months and was very stressful. The government made no relevant comment.
The Care Inspectorate were informed but not supportive at the time, as they were denied care home access. I think they were overwhelmed with complaints at that point. Renaissance Care Management were out to protect their business and the care home manager at all costs. I had sympathy for the manager. It was his first care home job. Yet he had lied to me, and I still had my mother in his home. This I was cautioned about in a conversation with a Renaissance Care area manager: “Remember, your mother is still in the home.” I stated this seemed like a threat, and it worried me. And I reported it to Renaissance. The area manager resigned on the spot not long after I complained. It was never heard of again. That was a mystery. I tried many times to talk to Renaissance Care managing director Robert Kilgouro, who was very vocal on TV and press at the time, but he declined all direct contact. He fobbed me off to his underlings, including an Operations Manager who was difficult to get hold of.
My family, via contacts in the oil industry, supplied three lots of urgent PPE to Renaissance Cowdray Club Care Home. When they had appealed, they had very little left, and the staff were very grateful and very pleased with the superior quality that was supplied. They’d never seen anything like it. They were used to running on cheap… the cheapest of the cheap. Some of these things had been flown in from America for oil companies, including memory foam visors and luxurious items they’d never seen. I’m not aware of any action taken by Renaissance Care against the manager. In fact, I’ve since heard he's been promoted to Area Manager.
Here I must state that Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and the GP practice were very obstructive in supplying medical notes. I also found false entries in my father’s care home notes where they had referred to him numerous times as having trouble with his dentures. At 88, my father was rare. He had no dentures and still had most of his teeth. I pointed out this error as high as the Operations Director and they had no explanation for these entries. I stated this book put the integrity of my father’s care home notes in a bad light.

The Scottish covid inquiry and my statement on the morning of 8th December

I wasn’t sure whether to put this in, but I think it’s vital that people are aware that things are not what they seem.
I gave my statement on the morning of 8th December 2023, and it’s on YouTube and a written copy is available on their website.

Here is the YouTube video:

Comments are turned off.

Alan Wightman’s testimony can be found later in the same video:

I was subsequently expelled from the Scottish Covid Bereaved group and from Aamer Anwar’s representation [Aamer Anwar & Co is a legal firm] only four days later on 12th December 2023. To be legally represented at the Scottish covid inquiry I had to join the Scottish Covid Bereaved group, now the SCB, run by Alan Wightman, and the lawyer is Aamer Anwar.

I uncover that Alan Wightman had requested legal representation from Nicola Sturgeon. And… the SNP [Scottish National Party, the party of government during the covid era] took Aamer Anwar to the table as a candidate, and he was accepted. I raised concerns about obvious conflicts of interest and impartiality after finding out that Aamer Anwar was a close friend of Humza Yousaf [covid era Health Secretary and then First Minister] in particular, and also was his personal lawyer, representing him in the well-known nursery case.

This seemed to me to be very wrong. He was too close to the SNP and was pictured with the leaders frequently — Nicola Sturgeon, Humza Yousaf and others. He attended various SNP events, including Yousaf’s swearing-in ceremony as First Minister. He appeared at conferences wearing his SNP rosette, and he appeared at Bute House [the Scottish First Minister’s official residence] at parties. This wasn’t right.
I read the SCB Facebook pages closed to non-members to find it was very pro-SNP bias and a lot of anti-Tory rhetoric. It was very political, and this made me uncomfortable. My communication with Alan Wightman broke down after I spoke to him about this. And it was only when I was suspended then expelled that I realised there was more to this… when I accessed the notes from Alan Wightman held in my Aamer Anwar & Co file, his legal file at his office…
On the morning of 8th December 2023 I gave my statement in front of Lord Brailsford at the Scottish Covid Inquiry. I was still a member of the SCB. I relayed my experiences and I had criticised the system. On 12th December I was told I was being thrown out of the SCB group, and that was how it was said by Alan Wightman. As a result, Aamer Anwar would remove taxpayer-funded legal representation. I would be removed from the Covid Inquiry legal representation immediately.
Within an hour, with no route for appeal, Amar Anwar & Co emailed me, terminating my representation after years of communication. Now this is a firm that offered to represent me privately in a private… prosecution is not the word… but a private [case] against the government. No information was given – just, “You are out.” Alan Wightman had ultimate power in the SCB and controlled the rights of legal representation by Aamer Anwar, all funded by us the taxpayers.
Alan Wightman lied about me on that day, 8th December 2023… I’ve got it in writing. He said I had gamed the system for some reason, and caused delay to his afternoon statement. I presented this evidence to Lord Brailsford on my removal. He confirmed the delay I had was for legal reasons, which put me under enormous pressure because I was waiting to go in. And there’s ladies here that have given evidence. You’re told, “There’s cameras. It’s live. It’s on YouTube. You’re not allowed to mention names.” And, at the very last minute, [I was told I] I wasn’t allowed to mention my father's name, which is very peculiar. You can imagine trying to read something out… and you can’t mention any names… Anyway, I said this was another slight on me… it had been accepted by the SCB – the Scottish Covid Bereaved — despite it being total lies. The Inquiry Chair decided, however, on me telling them this, that it would take no action, despite provision of evidence. I sent them the email and a copy of the thing that I had.
Aamer Anwar were told of this false accusation used to defame me. They had a solicitor with me — their own solicitor — as a witness, and it was easily proven to be false accusations. But they declined support. Alan Wightman went on to slate Boris Johnson partying in the afternoon testimony, and this was allowed. He was allowed to mention a person. I was not allowed to use any names, as I’ve said, including my father’s. The redacted statement caused further delay that morning. It was nothing to do with me “gaming the system”, which he preferred.
The SCB — Scottish Covid Bereaved — had no constitution for appeal and declined sending me a formal reason for dismissal. Both parties — Scottish Covid Bereaved and Aamer Anwar & Co — were relieved to see me go. That’s my feeling. I did not fit their narrative…
I had to go to the Information Commissioner’s Office to get my file from Aamer Anwar, who had originally declined and delayed supply. In that file I found offensive derogatory references to myself that had been communicated. I was nicknamed “The Reverend” which is not original. I’ve had that… since Rikki Fulton [a comedian, one of whose characters is The Reverend I. M. Jolly] first appeared on TV. I was also called “a toxic idiot” in correspondence supplied to Aamer Anwar by Alan Wightman. And the false statements were there to get me removed. I read that Alan Wightman wanted me expelled before I gave my statement to the Scottish Covid Inquiry, but that had to be stopped as it would have caused further problems for all concerned. Aamer Anwar & Co sat on this information, which was in [Aamer Anwar’s] office in his file, and did not contact me. “Why?” is the question. And Aamer Anwar & Co refused to talk to me about this.
The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service is the next one… November 2020… I had a letter from the Glasgow Crown Office Procurator Fiscal to say that my father’s death was selected to be under investigation. Now, despite four and a half years passing, and many letters of inquiry from myself, there’s no updates and no progress reports.
They were waiting on a medical report a year ago. I have stated to them that I want a criminal investigation and had requested a meeting with an official. And this has been declined until they have something they are willing to discuss with me. Only on 20th February — two days ago — I got my latest COPFS update. And what did it say? “Nothing to report.”
It remains my family’s view that this system is corrupt. Accountability is apparently non-existent, and inaction is tolerated, as other people have been saying here today. It is absolutely disgusting. It has seriously affected my mental health. My wife remains very supportive. Without her, I don’t know how I’d have coped. This is a platform where at least I feel I can air a small portion of what actually happened to my father, to my mother and to my family. Thanks again to Richard Ennos for his invitation to come here and speak to you today. And that’s the end of Reverend Jolly’s sermon.

Bill Jolly’s comment in relation to his fear that his father was euthanised — “they don’t like the truth” — reminds me of this post:

Update: next post in the series…

[SPCI-7] "We’ve come to the conclusion... the evidence strongly supports that there was no pandemic"

May 7

Read full story

Links to the other posts in this series:

#1 Alan Mordue | #2 Diane Rasmussen McAdie | #3 Richard Ennos | #4 Alison Walker

#5 Pam Thomas | #6 Bill Jolly | #7 Martin Neil | #8 Liz Evans | #9 Clare Craig

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Some posts, including a version of this one, can also be found on Unexpected Turns

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