A nursing home carer has received a suspended jail term after assaulting an elderly dementia sufferer.

The 93-year-old woman’s hair was pulled by Shenez Dhada as she was bathed at Oxford Grange Care Home in Dewsbury.

Dhada - who was immediately sacked from her job- claimed that she was feeling ‘screwed up’ at the time.

A district judge told the 51-year-old that the sentence was justified as the case would cause great concern to the public.

Dhada, of Commercial Street, Ravensthorpe, pleaded guilty to a charge of assault.

Kirklees Magistrates’ Court heard that the incident happened on the early evening of April 26.

Ben Crosland, prosecuting, said: “One of the residents of the care home was a lady aged 93 who had been living at Oxford Grange for four years.

“Sadly, she suffers from a number of health issues including dementia. Because of her condition at times she could be difficult (and) two carers at any one time have to look after her.”

The Huddersfield court heard that Dhada and another care worker were with the woman in the bathroom preparing to give her a bath.

This involved taking her clothes off and hoisting her into the bath.

Kirklees Magistrates Court, Huddersfield.
Kirklees Magistrates Court, Huddersfield.

Mr Crosland said: “She was being difficult and didn’t want them to have her clothes. In her agitation she lashed out and the defendant reacted by grabbing her by her hair and pulling it.”

Dhada’s colleague asked her to leave the room and reported the matter to her team leader who then informed police.

Mr Crosland said: “She said she was feeling screwed up, that this wasn’t the first time she’d been assaulted by a resident.

“She said she’d been under a lot of stress and things were getting on top of her.”

Mohammed Arif, mitigating, said that at one point during the struggle the victim had pulled out an ear ring from his client causing her considerable pain.

He told the court that in a momentary incident she responded by grabbing hold of the woman’s hair.

Mr Arif said: “It can be stressful and it isn’t easy to deal with patients in this position.

“But she has done something wrong to a vulnerable old lady and will regret that for the rest of her life.

“She’s no longer going to be able to work in this kind of industry.”

District Judge Philip Houlden told Dhada deserved a suspended term of imprisonment due to the public’s perspective.

He said: “I have to treat this case seriously because this lady is vulnerable in terms of her health and frailty and you were working in a position of trust.

“The public has some concerns that are particularly high at the moment about how people in this position are looking after them (care home residents).”

Judge Houlden sentenced Dhada to six weeks in prison suspended for a year.

She also has to pay £85 costs, £150 courts charge and £80 victim surcharge.