Mexborough abuse case nurse spared jail

A DETECTIVE has spoken out about the abusive care home manager who was spared prison after being found guilty of six charges of neglect.Acting Det Insp Natalie Shaw said that Jane Harris, of Priory Close, Conisbrough, “mistreated the very people she

A DETECTIVE has spoken out about the abusive care home manager who was spared prison after being found guilty of six charges of neglect.

Acting Det Insp Natalie Shaw said that Jane Harris, of Priory Close, Conisbrough, “mistreated the very people she was paid to care for” while working as a manager at Travis Gardens care home in Doncaster.

On Monday, at Leeds Crown Court, Harris (45), was given an 18-month suspended sentence and a 12-month supervision order for neglecting vulnerable adults under the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

Det Insp Shaw added: “This was a complex investigation and Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust have supported the police throughout.

“The Mental Capacity Act was specifically set up to safeguard vulnerable adults who lack the ability to make some decisions for themselves due to a learning disability or mental health condition and we believe this is the second conviction of its kind.

“We work closely with partner agencies to protect vulnerable people in our communities and we take all allegations of neglect seriously.

“I'm really pleased with the courage that it took for these people to come forward and testify against someone they used to work closely with.”

Harris, a nurse for 22 years, worked as the registered care manager at the learning disability home in Doncaster from July 2001.

The court had previously heard how Harris had used one resident to physically harm another resident, as a form of punishment.

Support workers at the home saw the ill treatment and told their managers, who reported it to police who launched their own investigation. 

Chris Williams, assistant director with RDaSH, added: “We always take very seriously any allegations of staff mistreating residents and report such matters to the police and our regulatory bodies.

“These serious matters are always thoroughly investigated and appropriate action is taken in respect of any staff members who are found to have acted inappropriately.”

During a seven day trial at Doncaster Crown Court earlier this year, a jury heard of Harris’s aggressive responses to her patients’ behaviour between May and August 2007.

Harris had denied all the charges against her and claimed that the allegations were made up by members of staff.

Sentencing, Recorder Simon Jackson QC said: “It is a great shame that you, a respected manager of an NHS care home, should find yourself convicted of criminal offences.

“These offences were committed against some of the most vulnerable people in our society, people who lacked the capacity to look after themselves and deserved your protection and care.”