Louise Harris, a 42-year-old carer from Cwrt y Waun, Rhydyfro, Pontardawe, Wales, has been jailed for three months after subjecting an 81-year-old dementia patient to a tirade of abuse, including screaming 'I hope you die in your sleep you f***ing horrible cow' in her face. The victim, Elizabeth Anne Shipton, was being cared for by Harris as a favour to the family before a formal care package was arranged.
Trial shift turns violent
Harris and Elizabeth’s daughter, Tracy Faram, had agreed to a four-hour 'trial' shift at the family home in February. It was the only time Harris was left alone with Elizabeth. The incident began when Elizabeth accidentally pressed her Lifeline button, triggering a call to a crisis response helpline. Although operators ended the call once Harris explained it was unintentional, the carer became enraged.
Harris started screaming abuse at Elizabeth, calling her a 'horrible cow'. She knelt down and placed her arm on Elizabeth’s chest while the pensioner was in bed, demanding to know where her money was. When Elizabeth complained the arm was hurting her, Harris yelled: 'I don't care, where's your money?'
Knife and property damage
The situation escalated when Harris began waving a large kitchen knife while trashing the property, Swansea Crown Court heard. Tracy, watching via CCTV cameras, called the police, who had to break down the door. Officers found Harris 'slumped on the floor'.
Sentence and mitigation
Sentencing Harris, Judge Huw Rees said elderly people were entitled to be treated with 'respect, dignity, and humanity', but that the defendant had been 'heartless and cruel', showing a 'callous disregard' for her welfare. In mitigation, lawyer Andrew Evans said Harris, a recovering alcoholic, found a bottle of vodka in Elizabeth’s home and 'gave into temptation' after Tracy left, drinking it. He added his client was genuinely remorseful for her 'wholly unacceptable behaviour'.
Harris pleaded guilty to being a care worker who ill-treated the victim and to criminal damage. She was originally charged with attempted robbery for demanding Elizabeth’s money, but the Crown Prosecution Service dropped that charge.
Family seeks sentence review
Tracy Faram has launched a bid to review the 'unduly lenient' sentence. She said: 'The judge's hands were tied by the sentencing guidelines. You could see he was raging. For her to be serving just over a month is unbelievable when you think what we've had since February. We've been living this day in, day out, with my mother getting worse.'
