2012: JUDGE CONDEMNS CARE WORKERS JAILED FOR ABUSING VULNERABLE RESIDENTS
A judge denounced the 'outrageous conduct' of two care workers from Bolton Council as he sentenced them to prison for mistreating vulnerable and severely disabled adults under their care.In his ruling at Manchester Crown Court yesterday, Judge Robert Atherton stated that the defendants had betrayed the people they were entrusted to care for.
He emphasized, 'They were as helpless as newborns and depended entirely on compassionate care.
I do not understand why their behavior changed from caring to this cruelty, but they must have undergone a change.' Ann Leach, 48, of Piggott Street in Farnworth, was convicted of nine counts of ill-treatment of a person lacking capacity and received a 21-month prison sentence.
Similarly, Joanne Robinson, 47, of Bolton Road in Kearsley, was found guilty of five such charges and was sentenced to 15 months.
Both women, with no prior convictions and employed as carers in Bolton for many years, were also issued lifelong bans from working with vulnerable adults.
The verdict followed a 16-day trial, where the jury unanimously found them guilty on June 1.
Evidence during the trial revealed graphic stories of abuse inflicted on two residents at a Worsley Road home in Farnworth.
One of the residents, 44-year-old Yvette Smith, who has a rare chromosomal disorder rendering her nearly blind, doubly incontinent, and prone to self-harm, suffered the most severe mistreatment.
Leach and Robinson reportedly used towels to trap her in her room and forcibly restrained her in another resident’s chair.
The court heard that Robinson used offensive language and was convicted of pushing and swearing at Yvette.
Leach was convicted of throwing a jug of cold water on her, spraying her with aerosols, pinning her against a wall, and acting aggressively.
The women also inflicted harm on a male resident with severe cerebral palsy who was wheelchair-bound.
Judge Atherton condemned their actions, saying they betrayed their victims and their families, especially noting how Yvette’s parents, Mr.
and Mrs.
Smith, had cared for her for many years.
The judge remarked on the heartbreaking reality that parents sometimes depend on others when they reach old age and cannot care for their severely disabled children, adding, 'Yvette’s simple pleasure of enjoying a bath was taken away from her when Leach poured cold water on her—a truly outrageous act.' The court also noted Robinson’s personal circumstances, including her being a single mother of two, caring for a five-month-old granddaughter, and suffering from Multiple Sclerosis.
During the trial, it was revealed that Leach’s young granddaughter died during the proceedings, and her 16-year-old son was significantly affected, undergoing counseling.
