Carer caught screaming ‘I hope you die’ in 81-year-old dementia-sufferer’s face | UK | News
A carer who screamed in the face of an 81-year-old dementia patient: ‘I hope you die in your sleep, you scary fucking cow’ has been jailed.
Louise Harris, 42, was jailed for abusing Elizabeth Anne Shipton, who she was supposed to look after. Harris, of Cwrt y Waun, Rhydyfro, Pontardawe, Wales, agreed to help care for the pensioner as a favor to Elizabeth’s family before a formal care package was put in place.
Harris and Elizabeth’s daughter, Tracy Faram, agreed to do a four-hour ‘trial’ shift at her parents’ home in February. It was the only time Harris was alone with Elizabeth.
Harris was infuriated when Elizabeth accidentally pressed the Lifeline button, which triggered a phone call to the crisis intervention hotline. Although call operators ended the call after Harris said it was not intentional, the caregiver was still angry.
He began hurling abuse at Elizabeth, calling her a ‘horrible cow’. At one point, while the retiree was in bed, Harris knelt down and put his arm across Elizabeth’s chest, demanding to know where his money was.
Elizabeth complained that her arm hurt, but the caretaker shouted: “I don’t care, where’s your money?”
Swansea Crown Court heard Harris then began brandishing a large kitchen knife around as he trashed the property. That’s when Tracy took action and watched the events through CCTV cameras.
He called the police, who had to break down the door. Cops found Harris ‘collapsed on the ground’.
Sentencing Harris, Judge Huw Rees said older people had the right to be treated ‘with respect, dignity and humanity’, but the defendant had acted ‘heartlessly and cruelly’ and showed a ‘callous disregard’ for her welfare.
In mitigation, barrister Andrew Evans said recovering alcoholic Harris found a bottle of vodka at Elizabeth’s house and ‘yielded to the temptation’ and drank the drink after Tracy left.
He added that his client was truly remorseful for his ‘completely unacceptable behaviour’. Harris was jailed for three months after pleading guilty to being a care worker who abused the victim and criminal damage.
He was initially charged with attempted robbery over his demands for Elizabeth’s money, but the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) dropped that charge.
Tracy has now launched a bid to review the ‘overly lenient’ sentence. He said: “The judge’s hands were tied because of the sentencing rules. He appeared to be angry.
“When you think about what we’ve been through since February, it’s incredible that she’s been in the military for just over a month. We live every day as my mother’s condition worsens.”
