Carer jailed for punching elderly dementia patient at Fareham care home

Lynette Brayley showed no emotion as Portsmouth Crown Court heard the horrifying detail of the attack on the 82-year-old victim she was supposed to be caring for at Ranvilles Nursing Home in Fareham.

Brayley, 57, had spent more than 20 years as a carer for vulnerable people but on the morning of July 10, 2015 she lost control when dealing with John Willis. Working with a new member of staff, Brayley tore the sheets from Mr Willis’ bed after finding he had wet himself.

She was said by the other member of staff to be furious with him and heard to say: ‘Look at what we’ve got to deal with.’

Judge Roger Hetherington, presiding over the sentencing hearing following her earlier conviction, said Brayley said it in an aggressive voice and created a tense atmosphere.

He added: ‘Mr Willis reacted to the way you were dealing with him by lunging towards you. Your response to that was to say “You bastard, I don’t get paid enough to get hit”.’

The court heard Brayley, of Johns Road, Fareham, punched Mr Willis hard in the chest with a full fist.

When he became even more frustrated Brayley punched him so hard it forced the bed into the wall, leaving him in pain. The attack only came to light at the end of the day after Brayley’s shocked colleague plucked up the courage to report her.

She denied punching Mr Willis but was found guilty by a jury last month.

It emerged at the sentencing hearing that Brayley had a reputation at the care home for aggressive behaviour and coldness towards patients.

She had been seen previously to push residents, ignore them and be rude to them. However, an official complaint had never been made against her and she has no previous convictions.

Brayley denied the accusation of ill-treatment and neglect of a person who lacks capacity.

Sentencing her to four months in prison, Judge Hetherington said: ‘This offence is aggravated by the fact Mr Willis was severely disabled and in no position to resist you – someone like you who was in a position of trust.

‘It is, in my view, of relevance that they were two, quite deliberate, punches of considerable force.’

He added: ‘The message needs to be re-emphasised again and again that if a carer uses violence against a resident who is in no position to defend himself, particularly where it is two blows – two punches – that it’s something that has to be dealt with by an immediate prison sentence.’