Care assistant found guilty of abusing vulnerable patient Dennistoun care home

A care assistant who told a colleague “let’s drown the b****” as they bathed a vulnerable patient at a care home has been spared jail. Annamaria McPadden, 36, said she “wished the straps would snap” on the hoist 63-year-old Janette Griffin was being moved into a bath with.

While working with the vulnerable resident, McPadden said she “couldn’t take to” the pensioner.

Her colleague 23-year-old Paige Finlay gave evidence at her trial at Glasgow Sheriff Court earlier this year.

McPadden, from Tollcross, Glasgow was convicted of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner towards the Miss Griffin at Golfhill Care Home in the city’s Dennistoun area on July 11, last year.

Sheriff Mary McCrory handed her a community payback order, as an alternative to custody, and ordered she carries out 150 hours of unpaid work within four months.

The charge had initially included that McPadden allegedly sprayed water in Miss Griffin's eyes and sprayed deodorant in her face but sheriff Mary McCrory deleted those parts of the charge.

She said she was there was sufficient evidence to convict her and that Miss Finlay was was a credible and reliable witness.

Defence lawyer Jack Brown made a legal submission on the last occasion, that there wasn’t enough evidence to convict but the sheriff rejected that and ultimately convicted McPadden.

It was heard Miss Griffin - who has since died - was bed bound, had trouble speaking, and needed help with daily tasks.

Cancer survivor Miss Griffin needed a hoist to be manoeuvred from her bed into a bath.

Miss Finlay said the resident would repeatedly shout “nurse” and could say “tea”, but mumbled a lot.

She told that court that while moving Miss Griffin from her bed to the bath, McPadden commented that she “couldn’t take to Janette” which she understood to be that she didn’t like her.

The witness added: “When the hoist was halfway up Annamarie said something along the lines of she wished the straps would snap.”

She recalled that when Miss Griffin was being washed that McPadden said to her “let’s just drown the bitch”.

Asked if she responded, Miss Finlay said “No, I didn’t say anything. I knew it sounded serious, I knew she wouldn’t actually drown her.”

She claimed McPadden was angry with Miss Griffin shouting 'nurse' and told her "Shut up or I will give you something to shout about."

Miss Finlay also alleged McPadden put the shower hose on the resident’s face and held it there.

She said she tried to prevent the water from spraying on it because she “felt the hose was on her face too long”.

The witness also told the court that once out of the bath and on her bed, McPadden put wet towels on Miss Griffin’s face.

Miss Finlay said in her evidence she saw McPadden spray deodorant in the resident’s face as they took her to another part of the home.

Miss Finlay was upset afterwards at what she witnessed and reported the matter to her manager the following day.

Defence lawyer Jack Brown put to Miss Finlay that Miss Griffin was “stroppy” and would be abusive towards staff, which she agreed with.

The witness said: “She was difficult at times but you need to have patience to work in that kind of industry.”

The court heard evidence from another witness that McPadden was heard shouting “stop that” and “that’s not nice” and that she sounded “agitated”.