UK – Harrowing footage has revealed how an 89-year-old grandmother suffering from dementia was abused by four Nigerian carers after her family became suspicious of bruises on her body and hid a secret camera in her bedroom.
Sisters Danielle and Rebecca Hinsley captured footage that ‘broke our hearts’ after becoming concerned when their grandmother Beryl Wall’s behaviour changed and she was left with injuries to her body.
They Planned the Camera
The pair complained to staff at the Wolverhampton care home in February 2020 but were left dissatisfied with the response and decided to look into the matters by themselves.
Ms Wall’s granddaughters put a Yi Eye Wi-Fi camera on a photo frame in her grandmother’s bedroom in a bid to see what was happening to Mrs Wall, who could not speak at the time.
Mrs Wall had been suffering from dementia since 2015 and was 89 at the time of the abuse.
She Died Afterwards
Sadly, the beloved grandmother-of-six, great-grandmother of 12, and great-great grandmother-of-one passed away on October 6 last year, aged 92, shortly after her abusers were found guilty.
The Maltreatment
The heartbreaking footage, captured over four days, appeared to show the workers making fun of the pensioner, pushing her, aggressively holding her legs in the air, and pinching her.
In another clip, one of them can be seen forcibly grabbing and mocking Mrs Wall before hitting her over the head with a pillow.
Danielle, 36, and Rebecca, 39, took their evidence to the care home managers, the Care Quality Commission, and West Midlands Police.
They Were Jailed
The carers, Ame Tunkara, 33, Morounranti Adefila, 43, Danny Ohen, 39, and Bridget Aideyan, 49, were later charged with ill-treatment and willful neglect.
They were found guilty and jailed for a total of 18 months at Wolverhampton Crown Court at the end of last year.
When the Abuse Started
Mother-of-five Danielle, 36, from Wolverhampton, said: ‘She first went into the care home in April 2019 and the abuse started in February 2020 – just before lockdown.
‘Her behaviour changed, she started hitting me and my sister. She was whacking us and screaming at us, telling us to get out.
‘We went in the next day and she had bruises on her elbows, face, head and wrists. That was what was visible to us, there was a lot more over her body we couldn’t see.
Victim Impact Statement
‘We called the management straight in and they just asked us to email the pictures. It wasn’t good enough so went out and ordered the camera straight away.
‘We knew somebody was hurting her. The bruises on the wrist weren’t alarming, but we knew something was up from the bruises on the face.
‘They were above her chin and eyebrow. We were angry more than anything.
‘The camera came the next day and we took it to the home. We left it a couple of days and when we brought it home what we saw was just horrific.
‘It broke our hearts.’
She added: ‘The man was the worst. He was hitting her over the head with a pillow.
‘He was mocking her because she couldn’t talk properly, he was pinching her face, holding her legs.
‘He was telling her he was going to phone the police.
‘The other woman was staring at her and holding a towel over her. They were holding her legs up like a baby, she was screaming. We were heartbroken and angry.’
Court Said
Ame Tunkara, 33, of Walsall, and Morounranti Adefila, 43, of Wolverhampton, were found guilty of ill-treatment and wilful neglect and sentenced on December 8 to four months in prison.
Danny Ohen, 39, and Bridget Aideyan, 49, both from Wolverhampton, were also found guilty of the same offences and sentenced to six months and four months, respectively, on November 14.
Det Con Kathryn Sargent said: ‘This elderly woman sadly died in October and should not have spent any of her remaining years suffering such ill-treatment.’
