Dementia patient, 85, hit by carer at Wolverhampton care home
A carer struck an 85-year-old dementia patient three times before saying 'she hit me first' to her shocked colleague, a court heard.
Kuldeep Kaur's outburst came after she was caught by the flailing arm of Lily Hadlington as she tried to change her clothes with a colleague at Lime Tree Court nursing home in Ettingshall Road, Bilston.
And when facing members of the care home's management following the incident on October 23 last year, Kaur, 58, said 'we're not here to be abused, some of them (the patients) are quite hard'.
Prosecutor Mark Cooper told Wolverhampton Magistrates Court: "She was helping change the patient when the assault took place, and it was reported to management shortly after. She had been on night duty and was nearing the end of her shift at 8am. The defendant and a colleague where trying to help the patient change clothes but she wasn't co-operating.
"Her colleague told us that the patient's arms were flailing about and contact was made with the defendant's face.
"The defendant struck the patient back with her right hand with force three times to her upper chest.
"The patient looked shocked, and the defendant turned to her colleague and said 'you saw that, she hit me first'."
He added that a colleague saw her use a closed but not clenched hand and said the victim was not injured.
"Because of the comment made by the defendant, it is deemed by the prosecution as a hate crime," he added.
Kaur, of Overfield Drive, Bilston, pleaded guilty to ill-treating a person who lacked or she believed to lack mental capacity.
Defence barrister Sunni Murria said of Kaur: "Last year she was in hospital initially for kidney failure but later for multiple organ failure. She didn't return to work until August, and following what happened, is of the belief that she wasn't ready to return to work.
"The incident happened because she was struck, no other reason, so this should not be considered a hate crime."
Magistrate Angela Spence said: "This is a sad case. As a bench we are not satisfied that this can be classed as a hate crime. You do appear remorseful."
Kaur was sentenced to a 12-month community order, and told to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work.
