VALERIE MARSHALL

FOUR CARERS SENTENCED OVER TREATMENT OF WOMAN, 85

Four care staff who were caught on CCTV degrading an elderly dementia patient have been sentenced.

The 85-year-old resident of Wavertree Nursing Home in Pighue Lane, Liverpool, had incontinence pads either thrown at her or placed on top of her head as staff laughed and joked about it, a court heard.

The incident took place on 9 February 2024, when CCTV footage showed staff mocking and laughing at her while she was distressed but unable to understand what was happening.

The care home manager saw the footage and called the police.

At Liverpool Crown Court on Friday, three staff members - William Vasey, 43, Valerie Marshall, 60, and Adele McIlhatton, 51 - received suspended prison sentences, while Josh Ireland, 23, was given a community order.

Vasey, the senior nurse on duty, pleaded not guilty but was convicted.

He received a 12-month jail sentence suspended for 18 months along with requirements for rehabilitation and unpaid work.

Marshall and McIlhatton received six-month suspended sentences, plus rehabilitation and unpaid work.

Ireland pleaded guilty at an early hearing and was sentenced to a 12-month community order with rehabilitation and unpaid work.

The incident was highlighted as an abuse of trust, as the defendants were paid to care for a vulnerable elderly woman suffering from dementia.