DEBORA NUNES AND KATIE CLARK FROM BOURNEMOUTH AND POOLE SENTENCED FOR CHILD NEGLECT IN DORSET
| Red Rose Database
Bournemouth Poole Filho Sexual Abuser
In December 2020, a serious case of neglect involving two Dorset-based carers was brought to light, culminating in their sentencing at Bournemouth Crown Court. Debora Nelson Simoes Nunes-Filho, aged 36, residing in Mountbatten Gardens, Bournemouth, and Katie Clark, aged 43, of Foxholes Road, Poole, faced justice after being found guilty of neglecting a vulnerable child under their care.
The two women had been employed by a care agency to provide overnight 'wake-in' care for an eight-year-old boy from Dorset who suffered from a rare syndrome requiring constant medical attention. Their employment began in August 2018, with the primary purpose of ensuring the child's safety and health during nighttime hours, thus allowing his mother to rest. The child's condition necessitated continuous monitoring of his oxygen levels, pain management, and breathing, which was facilitated through a SATS device attached to his toe and a CCTV system installed in the home.
During their shifts, the carers were strictly instructed not to sleep, given the child's need for regular medical checks and immediate response to any health issues. The CCTV system was used to remotely observe the child, and the carers were expected to remain vigilant at all times. However, investigations revealed disturbing breaches of these protocols.
In April 2019, concerns about the carers' conduct grew as the child's behavior worsened. His family decided to review the CCTV footage, which uncovered alarming evidence. One morning, the child's mother discovered her son alone in his bedroom, with Nunes-Filho in the kitchen. Further review of the footage by a family friend showed that during a six-hour period that night, Nunes-Filho was only in the child's room for 33 minutes while the boy was awake. She was seen sitting on the sofa watching television and appeared to be asleep at times.
Despite being reminded at the start of her next shift that the child should not be left alone, Nunes-Filho's subsequent recordings showed she mainly stayed in the child's room but failed to attach his SATS monitor while he was sleeping. She also fell asleep for approximately two hours, during which she would have been unaware of any danger to the child. Additionally, she falsified observation charts, despite the SATS device being turned off, which should have rendered such recordings impossible.
Further footage review revealed concerning behavior from Clark. On one night, around 1:30 am, the monitor attached to the child's toe was knocked off, triggering an alarm. Clark entered the room but did not attempt to reattach the monitor, instead turning off the alarm. The monitor was left off for the remainder of the night. During this period, Clark was seen sitting in the lounge watching television and appeared to fall asleep for about 30 minutes. The following night, she fell asleep again at approximately 4:45 am while the child's monitor was still off. The child woke at around 5:15 am, with his feeding tube appearing stretched and his safety compromised.
At around 5:40 am, Clark was observed waking and leaving the house to go into the garden, believed to be for a cigarette—an activity she was not permitted to do while on duty. During her absence, the child was left inside the home unsupervised. Despite these breaches, Clark also completed observation charts recording the child's vital signs, which was impossible given the monitor's disconnection.
Following these revelations, concerns were formally raised with the care providers, leading to a multi-agency strategy meeting. The police subsequently launched a criminal investigation, which resulted in both Debora Nunes-Filho and Katie Clark being charged with neglect and assault related to their failure to properly care for the vulnerable child. Their actions, which directly endangered the child's health and safety, ultimately led to their sentencing, with both women receiving two-year prison sentences suspended for 18 months and being ordered to complete 200 hours of community service.
The two women had been employed by a care agency to provide overnight 'wake-in' care for an eight-year-old boy from Dorset who suffered from a rare syndrome requiring constant medical attention. Their employment began in August 2018, with the primary purpose of ensuring the child's safety and health during nighttime hours, thus allowing his mother to rest. The child's condition necessitated continuous monitoring of his oxygen levels, pain management, and breathing, which was facilitated through a SATS device attached to his toe and a CCTV system installed in the home.
During their shifts, the carers were strictly instructed not to sleep, given the child's need for regular medical checks and immediate response to any health issues. The CCTV system was used to remotely observe the child, and the carers were expected to remain vigilant at all times. However, investigations revealed disturbing breaches of these protocols.
In April 2019, concerns about the carers' conduct grew as the child's behavior worsened. His family decided to review the CCTV footage, which uncovered alarming evidence. One morning, the child's mother discovered her son alone in his bedroom, with Nunes-Filho in the kitchen. Further review of the footage by a family friend showed that during a six-hour period that night, Nunes-Filho was only in the child's room for 33 minutes while the boy was awake. She was seen sitting on the sofa watching television and appeared to be asleep at times.
Despite being reminded at the start of her next shift that the child should not be left alone, Nunes-Filho's subsequent recordings showed she mainly stayed in the child's room but failed to attach his SATS monitor while he was sleeping. She also fell asleep for approximately two hours, during which she would have been unaware of any danger to the child. Additionally, she falsified observation charts, despite the SATS device being turned off, which should have rendered such recordings impossible.
Further footage review revealed concerning behavior from Clark. On one night, around 1:30 am, the monitor attached to the child's toe was knocked off, triggering an alarm. Clark entered the room but did not attempt to reattach the monitor, instead turning off the alarm. The monitor was left off for the remainder of the night. During this period, Clark was seen sitting in the lounge watching television and appeared to fall asleep for about 30 minutes. The following night, she fell asleep again at approximately 4:45 am while the child's monitor was still off. The child woke at around 5:15 am, with his feeding tube appearing stretched and his safety compromised.
At around 5:40 am, Clark was observed waking and leaving the house to go into the garden, believed to be for a cigarette—an activity she was not permitted to do while on duty. During her absence, the child was left inside the home unsupervised. Despite these breaches, Clark also completed observation charts recording the child's vital signs, which was impossible given the monitor's disconnection.
Following these revelations, concerns were formally raised with the care providers, leading to a multi-agency strategy meeting. The police subsequently launched a criminal investigation, which resulted in both Debora Nunes-Filho and Katie Clark being charged with neglect and assault related to their failure to properly care for the vulnerable child. Their actions, which directly endangered the child's health and safety, ultimately led to their sentencing, with both women receiving two-year prison sentences suspended for 18 months and being ordered to complete 200 hours of community service.