Whorlton Hall: Four carers sentenced for abusing hospital patients

Image caption, Whorlton Hall has been closed since the 2019 Panorama documentary

By Samantha Jagger & Peter Harris

BBC News

Four carers who were convicted of abusing patients at a secure hospital have been given suspended sentences.

An undercover BBC Panorama investigation showed patients being mocked by staff at Whorlton Hall in County Durham between 2018 and 2019.

The four former staff, who are all men, were sentenced on Friday after being convicted by a jury last year.

Judge Chris Smith said Whorlton Hall was an “unpredictable and inherently frightening place to live”.

The specialist hospital for people with complex needs was privately run by Cygnet, but funded by the NHS.

Media caption, Whorlton Hall: Panorama hidden camera footage shows hospital ill treatment

Undercover reporter Olivia Davies spent 38 days posing as a carer at the 17-bedroom secure unit.

In the footage showed to jurors, prosecutors said the defendants mocked, taunted and threatened patients.

Image caption, Matthew Banner and Peter Bennett were found guilty of abusing patients while working at Whorlton Hall

Peter Bennett was convicted for “deliberately referencing and snapping balloons” in the presence of a female patient who did not like them, and “mocking” another’s communication difficulties by talking to her in French.

Matthew Banner was guilty of ill-treating the same patient, who preferred female carers, by “threatening” that men would be sent to her room and making repeated references to balloons.

Image source, CPS/BBC

Image caption, John Sanderson was filmed by Panorama making threats of violence to a man

John Sanderson was found guilty of threatening a male patient with violence and “goading him to fight”.

Ryan Fuller was guilty of instructing another male patient to lie on the floor to demonstrate a restraint, and then simulating an assault by pretending to perform an “elbow drop” wrestling move from a chair.

Fuller was also found guilty of “antagonising” another male patient and “encouraging” him to fight.

Image caption, The court heard Ryan Fuller “antagonised” another male patient and “encouraged” him to fight

Judge Chris Smith sentenced the four carers at Teesside Crown Court on Friday.

Peter Bennett, 54, of Redworth Road in Billingham, Teesside, was given four months in prison, suspended for 18 months, after being found guilty of two chargesMatthew Banner, 44, no fixed address, was jailed for four months, suspended for 18 months after being convicted on five countsRyan Fuller, 28, of Deerbolt Bank in Barnard Castle, was sentenced to three months in prison over two counts, suspended for 15 monthsJohn Sanderson, 26, of Cambridge Avenue, Willington, County Durham, was found guilty of one count and jailed for six weeks, suspended for 12 monthsAll must also do unpaid work.

Nine carers at Whorlton Hall stood trial, five of whom were cleared of all charges by the jury.

‘Malign culture’

Judge Smith said Whorlton Hall had a “malign culture” and was an “unpredictable and inherently frightening place to live.”

He added: “Each of you failed those patients and their families. It was a fundamental breach of trust.”

Following the case, the father of a patient with severe autism who was ill-treated by a carer told the BBC of the impact of seeing the way his daughter was let down.

He said: “The more I saw it, the more angry I got. To see somebody treating your daughter like that is bad.

“We ended up not sleeping at night because of the anger and we ended up in therapy. We just couldn’t get our heads around it.”

Image caption, BBC Panorama exposed the ill-treatment of vulnerable patients living there

The sister of one patient, who can’t be named for legal reasons, said: “I can’t stop thinking about what they did to him. I don’t understand how anyone could be so nasty and cruel.”

Durham Police arrested several carers within 36 hours of the programme being aired.

Det Ch Supt David Ashton said the case “raised concerns, particularly for those who have vulnerable relatives or friends who require specialist care”.

“We hope that the successful prosecution of the defendants in this case gives confidence to anyone who may be concerned about abuse in a care environment to speak out and report such matters,” Det Ch Supt Ashton added.