‘I will never forgive myself for what I did to that lady’

THE second care worker who abused a 95-year-old blind woman says he will never forgive himself for his actions.

Pedro Dias, 21, said he has been threatened in the street in the days since a judge allowed him to walk free from court for attacking the woman, who also has dementia.

The Portuguese national said he is so horrified by his actions that he cannot bear to watch the footage of the abuse, which was filmed on secret cameras installed by Lynne Nuttall to film her mother, Marjorie’s quality of care. Dias has apologised for his actions. But the woman’s daughter hasn’t accepted.

Dias is also putting some of the blame on Prestbury House Care Home, where the incident happened, claiming bosses failed to act when he raised concerns about stress, staffing levels and management of the service.

His allegations are strongly refuted by the home.

Dias and Piotre Ciecielowski, 26, verbally abused their victim as they got her ready for bed.

At Chester Crown Court, Ciecielowski, of Brown Street, Macclesfield, and Dias of Rodney Street, Macclesfield, both admitted ill-treatment while working as a carer and were sentenced to nine months prison, suspended for two years and ordered to complete 250 hours unpaid work.

Dias, speaking exclusively to the Express said: “I will never forgive myself for what I did to that lady. There is no excuse for what I did, I take full responsibility. I am totally ashamed. Until that night I had worked with the lady for many months. I liked her, she was a real character.

“I knew how her illness made her behave sometimes, but that night I was a monster. Circumstances with staffing, management, built and built and then something snapped. I don’t even recognise myself on that film.

“I have a mother, grandparents, and I couldn’t bare for them to experience what that lady did. It is not who I am.

“I am not aggressive or violent. It was a bad moment and I want to apologise to her and her family for what they have been put through.”

Dias added: “I am relieved the judge saw that my actions on that night were not my normal character or a pattern of behaviour.

“People in my community do not agree and I have been threatened. I will just need to accept what I did was wrong and apologise.”

Dias claims that he expressed his concerns about the impact stress, insufficient staffing and poor management was having on him in August 2016, nine months before the incident.

He said: “Nothing happened. I complained, I warned them. If anything, things got worse. While I accept what I did was horrible I do feel the care home could have prevented it from happening.”

The woman’s daughter Mrs Nuttall said she did not accept Dias’ apology.

“Regardless of whatever training he has had or whatever stress he was under you don’t behave like that. There is no excuse for it.”

She thanked Express readers for their support, but urged people not to wish violence on Dias and Ciecielowski.