Former staff at Whorlton Hall accused of neglecting patients

Six men and three women, who worked at Whorlton Hall, near Barnard Castle, were caught on camera abusing their positions, according the prosecution.

Filmed over several weeks, the reporter captured the defendants tormenting one distressed patient who was seen to scream in anguish and hit herself as staff encouraged her or threatened to remove all female staff.

Richard Herrman, prosecuting, took the jury at Teesside Crown Court through hours of secretly recorded footage from inside the unit which caters for vulnerable patients with learning disabilities or autism.

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Jurors watched a 17-minute clip of Matthew Banner and Peter Bennett allegedly aggravating the patient by talking about balloons despite them knowing that it was a trigger for her behaviour and the woman could be heard screaming in distress and agitation.

They could be heard taunting her by asking her what her favourite colour balloon before she shouted - ‘none of them’.

Peter Bennett (Image: The Northern Echo)

Another clip, filmed on January 11, 2019, showed Banner and Karen McGhee, a qualified nurse, threatening to use only male carers despite it being recorded that the patient finds it distressing.

Whorlton Hall

Jurors also watched a clip Sarah Banner, Ryan Fuller and McGhee again threatening her with male carers before Banner encourages the patient to continue acting violently towards herself.

Mr Herrman said: “Sarah Banner encourages her to continue hitting her face and laughs at the distressed state of the patient.”

Sarah Banner (Image: The Northern Echo)

The footage was used in a Panorama documentary exposing the alleged psychological abuse of vulnerable patients with learning disabilities or autism.

The defendants face a total of 27 offences after the reporter used a hidden camera at the 17-bed independent unit for people with complex needs in January and February 2019.

Ryan Fuller (Image: The Northern Echo)

The BBC sent reporter Olivia Davies undercover to work at the unit, using a hidden camera to show the care offered by staff.

The accused are:

• John Sanderson, 25, of Cambridge Avenue, Willington, faces two charges of care worker ill-treatment or wilful neglect of an individual on February 2 and 25, 2019.

• Darren Mark Lawton, 47, of Miners Crescent, Darlington, by virtue of being a care worker, allegedly ill-treated or wilfully neglected a patient on January 27, 2019, and faces the same charge relating to a different patient on February 2.

• Niall Mellor, 26, of Lingmell Dene, Coundon, Bishop Auckland, is accused of the ill-treatment or wilful neglect of a patient on two occasions on January 20 and 24, 2019.

The nine defendants arriving at Teesside Crown Court or at an earlier hearing at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates' Court. (Image: The Northern Echo)

• Sarah Banner, 33, from Faulkner Road, Newton Aycliffe, stands accused of three charges of ill-treatment or neglect of a female in her care on January 24 and of a male patient the following day.

• Matthew Banner, 43, of the same Newton Aycliffe address, faced six charges all relating to the same patient at Whorlton Hall on separate occasions between January 6 and February 22.

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• Ryan Fuller, 27, from of Deerbolt Bank, Barnard Castle, faced ten charges of ill-treatment or wilful neglect against six different patients January 19 and February 2.

• Sabah Mahmood, 27, of Woodland Crescent, Kelloe, is accused of, by virtue of being a care worker, ill-treating or wilfully neglecting a male patient on January 4, 2019.

• Peter Bennett, 53, of Redworth Road, Billingham, faced three charges in total relating to two female patients, on January 6 and February 24.

• Karen McGhee, 54, from Wildair Close, Darlington, faced a total of four charges relating to a male and a female patient which were all said to have happened in January 2019.

The trial, which is expected to last for five weeks, continues.