On 25 August 2005 Penelope Dingle passed away from rectal cancer. At the time she was being treated by Homeopath Francine Scrayen. Who told her that homeopathy could cure her cancer. This tragic storey was covered last year.
Perth’s Penelope Dingle, the wife of prominent Perth environmental and nutritional toxicologist Peter Dingle, agreed to be treated with alternative therapies and refused to have surgery to remove the cancer soon after she was diagnosed in 2003.
Instead, she adhered to a strict diet and regular homeopath treatments before becoming so unwell she had to have emergency surgery to remove a bowel obstruction.
By this stage, the cancer had spread and two years later, in 2005, Dingle died from complications of the cancer. –Perth Now
But now the Coroners report has been released and the conclusion is quite damming of Francine Scrayen.
In my view the deceased’s rectal cancer was present and causing bleeding and other symptoms from at least 31 October 2001. During the period 31 October 2001 until at least the end of November 2002, the deceased regularly described the symptoms of her rectal cancer to a homeopath, Francine Scrayen. It was not until November 2002 that Mrs Scrayen and the deceased discussed the possibility of reporting her rectal bleeding to a medical practitioner and it was not until 5 December 2002 that she first reported those problems to a doctor.
I accept that Mrs Scrayen believed that the deceased had suffered from haemorrhoids years earlier and the bleeding and pain was “an old symptom coming back”, but a competent health professional would have been alarmed by the developing symptoms and would have strongly advised that appropriate medical investigations be conducted without delay.
Mrs Scrayen was not a competent health professional. I accept that Mrs Scrayen had minimal understanding of relevant health issues, unfortunately that did not prevent her from treating the deceased as a patient.
This case has highlighted the importance of patients suffering from cancer making informed, sound decisions in relation to their treatment. In this case the deceased paid a terrible price for poor decision making.
Unfortunately the deceased was surrounded by misinformation and poor science. Although her treating surgeon and mainstream general practitioner provided clear and reliable information, she received mixed messages from a number of different sources which caused her to initially delay necessary surgery and ultimately decide not to have surgery until it was too late. –Coronors Report; conclusion.
Until our authorities start taking consumer protection seriously, callous individuals like Francine Scrayen will cheat, exploit and swindle the sick and desperate in the pursuit of profit. Francine Scrayen scammed Penelope Dingle to death by selling ineffective treatments that do not work. Had Penelope Dingle made better choices about treatment she may very well have survived her cancer; unfortunatly she became the victim of a fraud who ultimately took not just her money but also her life.
Francine Scrayen who is not a medical professional killed her victim by selling bogus treatment in place of legitimate medicine. Mrs Scrayen is a fraud happily endangering lives in the pursuit of profit.