An experienced nurse was caught on CCTV abusing a 93-year-old woman with dementia who had been under her care, a court has heard.
Trushna Tailor, 42 of Bury New Road, Bolton, had been working at St George’s Care Home in Wigan when on February 17 this year she hit and assaulted the elderly woman, on the head and face leaving her with bruising.
She was arrested soon after and Bolton Crown Court heard how the victim’s loved ones had felt shocked and betrayed by Tailor’s actions.
A statement from them read by prosecutor Niamh McGinty said: “As a family we have been heartbroken by this person’s evil actions.”
She added: “This woman wasn’t just a nurse, but she had built up a rapport with us, which hurt us even more.”
Ms McGinty told the court how Tailor’s actions were discovered when the home manager was reviewing CCTV footage from February 17 the following day.
This showed Tailor, who has nearly 20 years of nursing experience, attacking the 93 year old, who has since died, over several minutes.
Footage of the shocking assault had been played in a private session before the court shortly before the hearing opened.
The first portion showed Tailor slapping her victim three times while roughly redressing her, the second showed her slapping the woman twice and forcefully restraining her while the third again showed Tailor slapping her four times.
Ms McGinty said: “This was a prolonged incident- it was nine minutes in total and there were other residents in the room at the time whether they were conscious of it or not.”
Following her arrest on February 21, Tailor initially denied assaulting the woman under her care but said that sometimes she had to be "firm and strict with her".
But she pleaded guilty to ill treatment or neglect of a person without capacity before the magistrates court on November 11.
John Richards, defending, admitted that he was equally shocked by the footage he had seen of the abuse.
He said: “The immediate reactions of me and my solicitors watching the CCTV was one of repulsion.”
Mr Richards added that he didn’t disagree that Tailor’s actions amounted to a severe abuse of trust and told the court she accepted it would be impossible for her to continue her career.
He said: “She understands that though nursing was her life, it would be nigh on impossible for her to do that.”
But Mr Richards argued that she would continue to live a normal life and was unlikely ever to trouble the courts again in future.
But having seen the footage for himself, which he said was "extremely unpleasant and distressing", Recorder Ciaran Rankin reminded the court of the extreme abuse of trust Tailor had committed.
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Addressing Tailor, he said: “It must have been self evident to you that what you were doing was wrong because it was in the final portion of the footage that you look around to see if anyone could see what you were doing.”
He added: “Those of entrust their elderly and vulnerable relative to care professionals must know that the courts will protect them.”
He sentenced Tailor to ten months in prison and banned her from working with children or vulnerable adults.
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