Doncaster due go to jail for abusing care home patients

A judge told James Hinds, 59, and Susan Murphy, 43: “It is impossible to assess the upset, distress and bewilderment your actions caused.”

Hinds and Murphy were found guilty of a total of 25 counts of ill-treating outpatients at the Solar Centre, at St Catherine’s Hospital in Doncaster by a jury at Sheffield Crown Court earlier this year.

They were found guilty of ill-treating 12 different outpatients between them.

All are extremely vulnerable adults, with limited communication abilities and a range of physical disabilities including blindness.

Many of the attacks involved patients being slapped and hit around the head.

Hinds threw one man into a wheelchair, dragged another to the toilet and hit another with a microphone.

Murphy locked one woman in a cupboard, the court heard.

All the incidents happened in a period between January 2005 and March 2007.

Hinds was convicted of 10 charges and acquitted of a further nine after the jury of five men and seven women deliberated for two days.

Murphy was found guilty of 15 charges and was cleared of a further five.

Judge Rosalind Coe told Hinds he had used “heartless, unkind and unacceptable violence”.

“You used violence, rough treatment, intimidation to frighten and control service users so they were less likely to display challenging behaviour in your presence,” she said.

The judge said to him: “Your bullying and intimidation to other staff members enabled you to carry on over a long period of time.”

She said the victims in the case were severely disabled and in no position to defend themselves.

“It is hard to imagine more vulnerable people,” Judge Coe said. “They were all dependent on you.”

The judge said she read many impact statement from relatives of the victims. She said each spoke of devastation and breach of trust.

The court heard Murphy, who is a mother and grandmother, and Hinds, who is a former miner, had been a couple for seven years and had to endure a campaign of vigilante action against them.

The judge was told how masked raiders broke into Hinds’s house, bludgeoned him across the head and stabbed him in the ribs.

Murphy was also stabbed, her barrister told the court, and the pair had to flee from Doncaster to Spain.

Earlier, Iain Hillis, defending Hinds, said his client had worked at the centre since 1997 and said he had always tried to protect more vulnerable staff members from more violent patients. He said Hinds had spent years caring for his patients.

“He was working under very difficult circumstances,” Mr Hillis said.

The judge said the pair showed no remorse and had still not accepted their guilt.

“You, Susan Murphy, continue to consider you and your partner are the victims in all of this.”

Hinds and Murphy showed no emotion as they were led from the dock watched by many relatives of the victims.

Speaking outside court, Sheila Mountain, whose daughter Carla was slapped by Murphy at the Solar Centre, said: “You can’t believe anyone in a caring profession could do this kind of thing.”

Mrs Mountain, from Doncaster, called for CCTV to be fitted into care homes.

“I think it should be everywhere,” she said.

Mrs Mountain said: “I just feel hurt. Very betrayed.”

Asked if the sentence was enough, she said: “Not in my eyes but I don’t suppose 20 years would be enough for me.”

Detective Chief Inspector Natalie Shaw, who led the South Yorkshire Police investigation, said: “This has been an extremely difficult and emotional time for the victims and their families.

“I am pleased we have finally been able to hold those responsible to account and hope this result will bring closure for the victims and their families and they can try to move forward with their lives.”