A son has been sentenced to six and a half years in prison for manslaughter after leaving his elderly mother on the floor for two weeks following a fall. Stewart Irwin, 56, was found guilty of the crime at Carlisle Crown Court and received his sentence on Friday. The trial heard that his mother, Veronica Irwin, died on July 28, 2023, after being left unaided for an extended period. The two lived together in Rydal Street, Carlisle. During the trial, it was revealed that Irwin called an ambulance on the day of his mother’s death, stating that she had fallen in the wet room and refused to get up. However, he later admitted during the call that his mother had been on the floor for two weeks and had been refusing food and help. He described her as "one of those stubborn old women" and even said, "I could have killed her myself," before retracting the remark. When paramedics arrived at the home, they found Veronica in a severely neglected condition, with severe pressure sores and signs of an insect infestation. They initially thought she was already dead. Irwin told them he had waited so long to call because his mother refused help, and he said, "I said you want an ambulance and she said no, no, no." Veronica was taken to the hospital but died that evening. A post-mortem examination revealed that her death was caused by hypothermia and neglected pressure ulcers. Following the incident, Irwin was interviewed by police twice but refused to answer questions, giving "no comment" responses. Detective Constable Emma Armstrong from Cumbria Police stated that Veronica died in "truly horrendous conditions" because her son, who was responsible for her care, refused to seek help. Armstrong noted that Irwin had many opportunities to ask for assistance but waited until it was too late to act. She added that the condition Veronica was in when paramedics arrived showed how bad it had become before he finally called for help.