Worker left care home due to ‘emotional abuse’ of clients – court

A SUPPORT worker left a care home where three men are accused of abusing residents because of the “emotional abuse” she claimed to have witnessed.

Emily Holborow only worked for eight weeks at Gower Lodge, in Gowerton, but told Swansea Crown Court she had felt uncomfortable at some of the treatment of clients she witnessed and was concerned about some of the comments made to clients.

She said she made covert recordings of some of those comments made by staff at the centre, which provides care for individuals with complex behavioural issues and mental health problems, but had not immediately reported them.

The home was run by private care company TracsCare, which has now been re-branded as Accomplish. Ms Holborow was the second witness to take to the dock in the trial of Douglas Stephens, Anthony Thomas, and Tony Rowlands.

The three men are alleged to have abused residents including dragging them by their hair, kneeling on them, racially abusing them, grabbing them by the throat, and slapping them. Between them they deny a total of seven counts of ill-treating or neglecting a person who lacks mental capacity.

Earlier in the trial another colleague, Aaron Nicholas, had told the court he had witnessed Stephens dragging a resident by her hair, kneeling on her, and making sexual comments about her, as well as using the n-word towards another resident.

On another occasion he claimed to have witnessed Thomas shouting at another vulnerable resident, grabbing him by the shoulders, and putting his thumb into his throat.

Ms Holborow told the court: “I did not like the way the clients were treated. I did not want to be part of it anymore. It was emotional abuse. It was emotional the way they were spoken to. That is why I filmed what I saw.”

Asked why she had not reported what she had seen, she said: “I was worried about coming forward. It took me a long time. I had a meeting with someone who worked high up in TracsCare. The comments gave me concern.

“On my first day I remember sitting in the living-room area and remember there comments about one client and how he was dressed. They were calling him a hillbilly and laughing at him. Some staff members were talking about which – it was bad – clients would they s**g. That was the words.”

Asked who had made that comment, Ms Holborow identified Douglas Stephens. Nicola Powell, representing Stephens, asked Ms Holborow if she could have misinterpreted the words she overheard. “Douglas Stephens denies making any of those comments – that is his case,” the barrister said. “I am suggesting perhaps there was a lot of banter between staff.”

Ms Holborow replied: “There was banter [but] I think that is further than banter – that is terrible.”

Ms Powell said: “This was a difficult working environment and sometimes banter gets staff through the day. I suggest perhaps you mistook some of those comments.”

Stephens, of Rhosyderi, Tumble, Llanelli, denies a total of four charges in relation to three separate residents. Thomas, of Briar Dene, Sketty, Swansea, denies two counts in relation to two residents, while Rowlands, of Jenkins Road, Neath, denies a single charge.

The trial continues.