'Culture of cruelty': 11 care home workers sentenced for shocking abuse of vulnerable residents exposed by Panorama probe
- 11 care workers admitted 38 charges of either neglect or ill-treatment of people with severe learning difficulties between them
- Six members of staff jailed for total of seven years and four months and five received suspended sentences at Bristol Crown Court today
- Wayne Rodgers, 32, was jailed for two years for abusing vulnerable patients
- Footage showed residents being slapped, soaked in water, trapped under chairs, taunted, sworn at and having their hair pulled and eyes poked
- Jason Gardiner, 43, apologised, saying it was a 'tough place to work'
By LARISA BROWN
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Six members of staff who abused vulnerable patients at a residential care home with a 'culture of cruelty' were today jailed for a total of seven years and four months.
Winterbourne View private hospital in Bristol was closed after five weeks of undercover filming captured shocking treatment of disabled people.
Patients were slapped, soaked in water, forcibly pinned down, trapped under chairs, taunted and had their eyes poked and hair pulled by staff members.
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Abusers: Top left to right Kelvin Fore, Michael Ezenagu, Neil Ferguson, Sookalingun Appoo and Wayne Rogers. Bottom left to right Alison Dove, Charlotte Cotterell, Danny Brake, Graham Doyle, Holly Draper and Jason Gardiner
The staff admitted 38 charges of either neglect or ill-treatment of people with severe learning difficulties between them.
Five members of staff received suspended sentences - walking away from court free after admitting sickening crimes.
Wayne Rogers, 32, who was jailed for two years, was condemned by a judge at Bristol Crown Court for dishing out abuse to disabled patients.
Rogers was among the 11 staff - nine support workers and two nurses - caught in a BBC Panorama sting by a reporter with a hidden camera posing as a carer.
On one shocking occasion footage showed three support workers forcibly holding down a resident while a nurse forced paracetamol into her mouth.
Michael Ezenagu, left, leaves Bristol Crown Court today where he was sentenced to six-month suspended jail term and Jason Gardiner, right, who was given a four-month suspended sentence for their part in the abuse
A woman cries as family members and friends of the victims gather to read a statement outside Bristol Crown Court
Bev Dawkins, centre, of Mencap, reads a statement on behalf of the families who suffered abuse
Judge Neil Ford QC, the Recorder of Bristol, described Winterbourne View an 'institution in which systematic abuse' of vulnerable people took place.
He said: 'The hospital was run with a view to profit and with a scandalous lack of regard to the interests of its residents and staff.
'A culture of ill-treatment developed and, as is often the case, cruelty bred cruelty.
'This culture corrupted and debased, to varying degrees, the defendants.'
Guilty: 11 care workers, sketched during an earlier appearance, were sentenced today after they were caught on camera abusing patients
Convicted: Six members of staff were jailed. The other five were given suspended sentences by a judge at Bristol Crown Court
The judge condemned the abuse the care workers (pictured) meted out to disabled patients at the Winterbourne View private hospital, at Hambrook, South Gloucestershire
Whistleblower Terry Bryan, a former nurse at the home, went to the BBC with his concerns after his complaints to owner Castlebeck and care watchdogs were ignored.
Journalist Joseph Carey recorded shocking footage during a five-week investigation in February and March last year and the programme was shown the following June.
A serious case review published in August criticised Darlington-based Castlebeck Ltd, which owned the hospital, for putting profits before humanity.
The 26-bed hospital opened in 2006 and by 2010 had a turnover of £3.7 million. The average weekly fee for a patient was £3,500.
Prosecutor Kerry Barker said care watchdogs failed to act on repeated warnings of 'inhumane, cruel and hate-fuelled treatment' of patients.
'The so-called restraint techniques were used to inflict pain, humiliate patients and bully them into compliance with the demands of their carers,' Mr Barker said.
'It is the Crown’s case that generally the offences were motivated by hostility towards the victims based on their disabilities.
'The offenders were operating in groups; the offences involved an abuse of power; an abuse of trust; the victims were particularly vulnerable and on occasion the ill-treatment of a patient was sustained, with the consequences of serious psychological effects.'
Mr Barker told the court that the five residents, Simone Blake, Simon Tovey, Louise Bissett, Louisa Deville and Lorraine Guildford, suffered greatly at the hands of the defendants.
Among the hours of graphic footage played to the court during the sentencing hearing was support worker Wayne Rogers telling Miss Blake: 'Do you want me to get a cheese grater and grate your face off?
'Do you want me to turn you into a giant pepperoni?'
He also slapped Mr Tovey across the cheek and told him: 'Do you want a scrap? Do you want a fight? Go on and I will bite your bloody face off.'
This poor woman was dragged across the floor in this undercover footage obtained by a whistleblower
Staff played games with the patients, shown here placing one person under furniture with the other sat in the seat above
Colleague Alison Dove said Miss Blake 'loved pain' and then told her: 'Simone, come here and I’ll punch your face.'
Dove also threatened Miss Bissett when she broke a window in the lounge with a chair.
She snarled at her: 'Listen, in future I’m going to let you sit on the f****** floor, cos you don’t deserve a chair.'
On another occasion, Dove, Graham Doyle and Holly Draper restrained Miss Blake as Sookalingum Appoo forced paracetamol into her mouth.
Later during the same shocking incident Doyle put on a mock-German accent and, mimicking a Nazi guard, slapped her over the head with his gloves shouting: 'Nein, nein, nein, nein.'
Barristers representing the 11 defendants apologised on behalf of their clients but blamed the culture of Castlebeck - calling it a 'disease', a 'cancer' and a 'fog' that had engulfed Winterbourne View.
Judge Ford praised Mr Casey for the 'unpleasant task' of collecting evidence of the ill-treatment of the residents, which was later broadcast on Panorama.
FAMILIES OF VICTIMS CALL ON GOVERNMENT TO STOP ABUSE RECURRING
The families of the victims call upon the Government to stop a similar scandal happening again
In a statement read outside Bristol Crown Court by Bev Dawkins, of Mencap, the families of the victims called on the Government to make changes to ensure the catalogue of abuse could never again.
'The righteous public outrage over the treatment of our children has highlighted the necessity of these vulnerable adults receiving the same care and protection due to them in law as any other member of the public,' they said.
'We sincerely hope that the Government will seize this unique opportunity with both hands to actually enforce existing policy and enshrine some of those changes in law.
'In the 21st century places like Winterbourne View should not exist, they should be closed and more local services developed.'
James Welch, legal director for Liberty, which is representing some of the families involved in the scandal, said: 'Now that those who were directly responsible have been sentenced it is time to look at wider institutional failings that led to the horrific abuse of patients at Winterbourne View.
'Not only does the management of the hospital bear responsibility for what happened but there is evidence that attempts by whistleblowers to alert the authorities were ignored.'
Lawyer Alison Millar, from Leigh day & Co, who is also representing victims, said: 'This sends a clear message to abusers that the responsible authorities will take heed of their actions and they will be brought to justice.'
Care and Support minister Norman Lamb pledged to publish the Government's report into the scandal 'very soon'.
'His footage has provoked widespread and understandable feelings of revulsion,' the judge said.
'It has also led to the closure of an institution in which systematic abuse of vulnerable people would otherwise have continued.'
Judge Ford said he sentenced the defendants on the basis of their guilty pleas and not for the totality of the abuse at Winterbourne View.
'These offences constituted a gross breach of trust and power,' he said.
'Your victims were particularly vulnerable and have been significantly affected by your acts of abuse in the context of a regime of continuing abuse and on occasions you offended as part of a group.'
Judge Ford said one particularly nasty incident involved Doyle and Rogers restraining Miss Blake while taunting her with sweets.
'The image of you both enjoying sweets while that young woman was being treated in the manner I have described is truly disturbing in its callous disregard for her comfort and well- being,' he said.
Addressing Rogers, a senior support worker, the judge said: 'Your overall conduct amounted to physical and mental ill-treatment, often of a particularly cruel nature, to extremely vulnerable people who were in your care.
'In the face of behaviour that was not particularly challenging, your first resort was to use wholly inappropriate methods of restraint, often coupled with taunting and assault.'
Judge Ford told Dove, a support worker: 'I have read the pre-sentence report in which you say you were originally shocked by the ill-treatment of residents at the hospital but that you became desensitised to it over time.
'You suggested it was born of boredom during long shifts and that you had viewed patients as playthings.'
Winterbourne View residential hospital in Bristol where the vile offences took place
Addressing Doyle, who had started at Winterbourne View as a kitchen pot washer before becoming a support worker, the judge said: 'In a letter to me you have described your conduct as disgusting, vile and inexcusable.
'You are considered genuinely remorseful and haunted by guilt. But your treatment of Simone Blake was often cruel, callous and degrading. It was always wholly unjustified.'
The owners of Winterbourne View said huge changes had taken place within the company since the abuse was exposed by Panorama.
Castlebeck Ltd said there had been 'extensive changes in board and management' and new measures introduced to ensure there could not be a repeat.
Jason Gardiner, 43, one of five support workers at the scandal-hit home who escaped immediate jail sentences, apologised today for his behaviour.
Gardiner, who was a prison officer in Bristol for 11 years before working in the care sector, said as he left court: 'At the time it was misguided, I was trying to do the right thing and I ended up doing wrong and I would apologise for that.
'I've apologised all the way through and I've taken full responsibility for everything I have done. It was a very difficult place to work, a tough place to work.
'Understaffed, high pressure, 12 hour days, no breaks, but there are no excuses for what anybody did.
'All I can do is apologise to everybody for what happened and I really never meant any harm to anybody and that is heartfelt.'
The court heard that Gardiner was planning to marry his partner of 12 years but that relationship had ended as a result of his involvement in the care home abuse and he was now sleeping on his mother's sofa.
A TOTAL OF 38 CHARGES OF EITHER NEGLECT OR ILL-TREATMENT
The former staff admitted 38 charges of either neglect or ill-treatment of people with severe learning difficulties. They are:
Wayne Rogers, 32, of Purton Close, Bristol, pleaded guilty to nine charges of ill-treating Ms Deville, Mr Tovey and Miss Blake. He denied a charge of ill-treating Miss Bisset, which was accepted by the prosecution and he did not face trial. He was jailed for two years.
Alison Dove, 25, of Chipperfield Drive, Bristol, pleaded guilty to seven charges of ill-treating Miss Guilford, Miss Bisset and Miss Blake. She pleaded not guilty to ill-treating Mr Tovey, which was accepted by the prosecution and she did not face trial. She was jailed for 20 months.
Graham Doyle, 26, of Brackendene, Bradley Stoke, Bristol, pleaded guilty to seven charges of ill-treating Miss Blake. He denied charges of wilfully neglecting Miss Guilford and ill-treating Mr Tovey. The prosecution accepted the pleas and he did not face trial. He was also jailed for 20 months.
Jason Gardiner, 43, of Mellent Avenue, Bristol, admitted two charges of ill-treating Ms Deville and Mr Tovey. His four-month jail term was suspended for two years. Gardiner was ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.
Michael Ezenagu, 29, of Malabar Court, India Way, Shepherds Bush, west London, pleaded guilty to two counts of ill-treating Miss Blake. He denied two further of ill-treating the same patient and a third similar charge against Mr Tovey. The prosecution accepted the pleas and he did not face trial. His six-month jail term was suspended for two years. Ezenagu was ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.
Danny Brake, 27, of Beechen Drive, Fishponds, Bristol, also pleaded guilty to two charges of ill-treating Miss Blake and Mr Tovey. His four-month jail term was suspended for two years. Brake was ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.
Charlotte Cotterell, 22, of Melrose Avenue, Yate, Bristol, pleaded guilty to one charge of ill-treating Miss Blake. She denied a second charge against the same victim, which was accepted by the prosecution and she did not face trial. Her four-month jail term was suspended for two years. Cotterell was ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work and complete 12 months supervision.
Holly Draper, 24, The Old Orchard, Mangotsfield, Bristol, pleaded guilty to two charges of ill-treating Miss Blake. She was jailed for 12 months.
Neil Ferguson, 28, of Emersons Green, Bristol, pleaded guilty to one count of ill-treating Miss Blake. He denied a second charge of ill-treating the same patient, which the prosecution accepted and he did not face trial. His six-month jail term was suspended for two years. Ferguson was ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.
Sookalingum Appoo, 59, of Dial Lane, Bristol, admitted three charges of wilfully neglecting Miss Blake. He was jailed for six months.
Kelvin Fore, 33, of Ellesmere Walk, Middlesbrough, pleaded guilty to one charge of wilfully neglecting Miss Blake but denied a second allegation against the same person, which was accepted by the prosecution and he did not face trial. He was also jailed for six months.
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