Care home bullies jailed for attacks on dementia victims
TWO care home workers have been jailed after they “mocked and bullied” dementia sufferers by hurling gravel at them in happyslap pranks.
Student nurse Abana Arshad and Amy Greenhalgh, both 24, laughed as they filmed the attacks on their mobile phones.
Up to seven elderly residents with dementia or Alzheimer’s were targeted behind the back of unsuspecting colleagues.
None of the victims, several of whom have since died, was able to say who ill-treated them due to their condition, Manchester magistrates court heard.
The women, working at Laburnum Court care home in Salford, Greater Manchester, were found out in July 2018 when one was seen loading her pockets with gravel from the driveway. Stones were also found on room floors.
Laughing
When the pair realised they were going to be discovered, they planned to blame the residents.
They also warned each other to delete incriminating pictures.
Craig Gardner, 43, whose father Jack, 67, was one of the victims, said: “My dad had advanced dementia and had been deteriorating over five years.
“He was a shell of his former self and was fully reliant on the care home staff. Other staff have been nothing short of brilliant but he has been truly let down.”
Arshad, of Crumpsall, and Greenhalgh, of Eccles, were jailed for 20 weeks after being convicted of ill-treating a person without mental capacity.
District Judge James Hatton told them: “The victims deserve more from two young people.
“They should have been treated with dignity, yet they were not. They should have been treated with respect, yet they were not.
“They treated the victims like they were there for their amusement.
“They mocked and bullied people who were unable to defend themselves and never demonstrated any genuine remorse.”
Ian Cochrane, defending Arshad, claimed she had led “an exemplary life” and was on a nursing degree course until a longterm relationship broke down.
Matthew Wallace, defending Greenhalgh, claimed she had been bullied at school and was physically abused by her father.
He added: “She just joined in. The motivation was more to fit in than to cause harm.”
But after the case Sonia Morris, 37, whose mother Zena was a victim, said: “There has been no remorse, no apology. I couldn’t believe their arrogance at a previous hearing. Outside court, they were laughing as if it was a joke.”