Care Worker Admits Pushing Woman Aged 104

A care home worker who admitted assaulting a 104-year-old woman in an argument over slippers has been given a conditional discharge.

Miriam Marchant, 54, of Eastwoodbury Lane, Southend, was looking after Rachel Hush at a home in Shoebury on October 15 this year when the incident happened.

Southend Magistrates were told Mrs Hush, who is in a wheelchair and suffers from dementia, had been very difficult. She was upset because she was wearing someone else’s slippers, so Mrs Marchant went to fetch another pair, which Mrs Hush refused to put on.

The court was told Mrs Marchant lost her temper, threw the slippers into the lounge and called Mrs Hush “ungrateful”.

“There was some incident and you reacted to her in a manner which was clearly inappropriate.”
District Judge Kevin Gray
 
When Mrs Hush demanded to be left alone, Mrs Marchant ended up pushing her back into her chair.

In police interview, Mrs Marchant told officers she had retaliated after Mrs Hush had punched her in the arm.

Michael Warren, mitigating, told the court Mrs Marchant had refused to accept a police caution and, as a result, had been suspended from her job at the care home.

She was later charged with assault by battery, to which she pleaded guilty.

Mr Warren said it had been a one-off incident in Mrs Marchant’s 25-year career in the care industry.

Handing down a three-month conditional discharge, District Judge Kevin Gray said: “The aggrieved in this case was, through no fault of hers, a difficult person to deal with.

“There was some incident and you reacted to her in a manner which was clearly inappropriate.

“I’ve taken into account your background and history. There will be no financial penalties. I think the court appearance and the conditional sentence is sufficient.”