Evil care home bully is jailed

A CARE HOME worker who bullied elderly patients “like a lion eating a zebra” has been jailed for nine months.

Shari Childs abused and manhandled vulnerable residents all suffering “the horrors of dementia” until a whistleblower revealed her cruel behaviour and police were alerted.

Childs, 38, denied seven charges but Judge Stephen Holt said she set an “appalling example” to her colleagues and left her victims “terrified”.

He said: “People must understand – if they abuse in a cruel way elderly, very vulnerable people, then custody is almost inevitable.

“These residents were all elderly with dementia problems.

“Old people with that disease are incredibly vulnerable to abuse.

“Sadly, something happened in your life which changed you. Your behaviour changed towards some of the most vulnerable residents suffering from the horrors of dementia.

“Friends and relatives must have confidence they are going to be well looked after. Older persons with these kind of needs deserve to be looked after with patience and decency.”

He praised co-worker Yanic Anacoura who witnessed Childs’ behaviour towards the residents at Hillcrest home in Norwich.

Mr Anacoura told Norwich Crown Court: “It was hard to watch. It was not care at all.”

Aggressive and forceful, Childs was like a “lion eating a zebra” as she yelled at victims, he added.

Judge Holt said Mr Anacoura “is Shari Childs, 38, bullied and abused the vulnerable residents in her care at Hillcrest home in Norwich one who comes out of this sorry affair with much credit. He had the courage to blow the whistle”.

Childs, of Norwich, was found guilty of seven counts of wilfully neglecting or ill-treating a person lacking mental capacity. The jury cleared her of two similar charges.

Childs still refuses to accept she mistreated residents, the jury heard.

She claims she suffers from carpal tunnel syndrome and sometimes has difficulty picking things up. It would have been impossible for her to handle patients roughly, she said.

Jonathan Goodman, defending, said Childs had had an “unblemished history in the care industry”.

He added: “She was out of control at a time in her life when her husband had been sacked” but will pose no risk in future as her career is “finished”.