Four healthcare workers have been jailed after they were caught on film physically and emotionally abusing an 89-year-old woman with vascular dementia at a care home in Wolverhampton. The victim, who could not speak, died in October, police said.
The family had noticed bruising on the woman's arm and that she had become nervous and scared to be touched after a year in the home. In February 2020, they secretly installed a camera and recorded footage over four days showing the woman being handled roughly, hit with a pillow, and treated without dignity or respect.
When the abuse was reported, three staff members were immediately dismissed and three agency workers suspended. After reviewing the footage, police identified two more suspects. Eight care assistants were charged; four were found not guilty after a trial.
Ame Tunkara, 33, of Walsall, and Morounranti Adefila, 43, of Wolverhampton, were found guilty of ill-treatment and wilful neglect and sentenced on 8 December to four months in prison. Danny Ohen, 39, and Bridget Aideyan, 49, both from Wolverhampton, were found guilty of the same offences and sentenced to six months and four months respectively on 14 November.
Detective Constable Kathryn Sargent said: 'This elderly woman sadly died in October and should not have spent any of her remaining years suffering such ill-treatment.'
