Nurse slapped OAP

Published 21 Jan 2010 17:11 0 Comments

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SHAMED: Margaret Richmond.Picture by Joe Mulgrew

By Ewan McInnes

A NURSE who admitted assaulting elderly patients in her care was labelled 'a witch' by one of her victims.

Cruel Margaret Richmond, 54, admitted slapping an 86-year-old on the face and assaulting an 88-year-old by pulling her ear at Westlea Care Home, Neilston.

Witness Helen Young was quizzed at Paisley Sheriff Court on Monday by prosecutor, Peter Galletly, on what she had observed while working night shift alongside Richmond, the former principal nurse.

The care home looks after more than 50 elderly residents and Mrs Young told how she worked the 10pm to 8am night shift with three other carers and Richmond, three-nights-a-week.

Mrs Young broke down in tears as she told the court how she and her colleagues became suspicious of the way Richmond was treating the patients.

The 54-year-old said: "We were sitting in the dining room with our colleagues having a cup of tea.

"One of the patients wasn't sleeping in her bed and kept getting out all the time and putting herself on the floor of her bedroom.

"Richmond put her in the dining hall in a bucket chair while we were having a cup of tea.

"She got up and the patient was sleeping on the chair.

"She lifted her hand and hit her over the head area and told her 'if you're not sleeping in your bed you're not sleeping in the chair'.

"We were all shocked, after Richmond slapped the wee lady on the head she walked out the room and the lady called Richmond 'a witch'.

"I was totally shocked and again couldn't believe what was happening."

A tearful Mrs Young also recalled what happened in the second assault at the care home, where many patients suffer from dementia, when Richmond pulled an 88-year-old's ear.

She told the court: "It must have been after midnight, the patient was in the dining hall because she was restless and couldn't sleep.

"The patient's reaction afterwards was 'don't do that, that's not nice'.

"Again I was shocked.

"I couldn't believe a nurse in charge would treat some old people like that, the way she slapped one victim and pulled the ear of another."

Richmond's defence lawyer suggested to the witness that sometimes it was necessary to have physical contact with patients to check if they were still alive.

But Mrs Young replied that never in nearly 40 years of being a care worker had she seen anyone do what Richmond had done.

After the trial broke for lunch, Richmond returned to the court where she changed her plea and pled guilty to assaulting a patient, then aged 86, and slapping her on the face between January 1 2008 and January 16 the same year.

She also admitted to, between January 2007 and the same month the following year, assaulting an 88-year-old patient and pulling her ear with her fingers.

The three other charges against Richmond, including stamping on the foot of a 74-year-old, striking an 88-year-old on the head with a newspaper and pushing and 82-year-old, were dropped after she pled guilty to the two charges.

Sheriff Neil Douglas deferred sentence on Richmond, of Main Road, Gateside, Beith, until next month for a social work report and a community service assessment.

Kenny Murray, one of many concerned relatives of patients who stayed at Westlea Care Home when Richmond worked there, told the Barrhead News of his relief at the guilty plea.

The 33-year-old said: "I couldn't care less about her because in my opinion she is a coward and I am just glad she has pled guilty and won't be able to do this again.

"She took liberties hitting people who were vulnerable, I am glad she is going to be punished and I hope she gets a custodial sentence.

"I think what she admitted to was the tip of the iceberg and it will be interesting to see how she gets on in prison."

On hearing of Richmond's guilt a Westlea Care Home spokesperson said: "I am absolutely delighted for the people involved this has been brought to a conclusion.

"It is something that was reported to us, we operate a zero tolerance policy to abuse and everything reported to us is investigated."

This article appeared in Barrhead News 20 Jan 10

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