Billingham care worker faces prison for neglect

A FORMER care home worker has been warned she could be jailed after being convicted of mistreating a vulnerable resident.

Aurora Petre, 34, admitted pushing, swearing and manhandling the 58-year-old mentally-ill woman while she worked at the home.

Petre, from Romania, was told her name will be added to a carers’ blacklist to prevent her from working with vulnerable adults after she pleaded guilty to neglect at Teesside Crown Court.

The mistreatment took place when she worked at the Billingham Grange care home in Billingham between February 1 and March 28, 2008.

The home, in High Grange Avenue, cares for people demonstrating the early onset of dementia and other challenging behaviour.

Petre was due to stand trial yesterday after previously denying four counts of ill treatment against four different residents.

But she pleaded guilty to one charge of ill treating or neglecting a person who lacked capacity contrary to the Mental Capacity Act.

The court heard the charge represented some of the most serious mistreatment committed by Petre and the Crown Prosecution Service agreed not to proceed with the other charges.

They related to two residents aged 60 and one aged 62.

Kitty Taylor, prosecuting, said: “The count to which the defendant has pleaded is one of the most serious of the allegations involving pushing, swearing and physically manhandling of the most vulnerable person in the indictment.”

Petre, now of Leighton Road, Corby, Northamptonshire, will be reported to the Independent Barring Board to be banned from working with other vulnerable people.

Stephen Constantine, mitigating, asked for the case to be adjourned for reports to be prepared. She was bailed until she is sentenced next month.

Recorder Martin Bethel said: “This was, of course, a serious offence and all sentencing options will be open to the judge who deals with you.”