Swansea Crown Court hears nurse 'slapped elderly patient' as trial continues
It's alleged Primrose James who's 51 and from Essex assaulted 80 year old Dennis Warlow while helping with his personal care last year
Last updated 15th Jun 2024
The jury at Swansea Crown Court's heard how a nurse slapped an elderly and vulnerable patient in the face - while he lay in his hospital bed.
It's alleged Primrose James who's 51 and from Essex assaulted 80 year old Dennis Warlow while helping with his personal care last year after he hit out at another member of staff.
The incident is reported to have happened at Withybush Hospital in Haverfordwest on May 31, 2022, with James on trial for ill-treating a person who lacks capacity.
He was suffering from Parkinson's Disease and had been in the hospital ward at Withybush after fracturing his hip earlier that year.
The jury was told his behaviour was as times disruptive and violent.
James, who was an agency nurse and had worked on the ward in question for around two years, denies the charge and claims to have been acting in self-defence.
During the trial, she claimed James became confrontational and while assaulting him told him he was a "horrible, horrible man".
"He was quite a vulnerable man, quite frail. But he was a difficult patient"
Opening the trial, prosecutor Sian Vaughan, said: "He Mr Warlow suffers from Parkinson's disease, he had multiple mobility issues and he was in fact deemed as having lost capacity or not having capacity in April of that year.
"He was quite a vulnerable man, quite frail. But he was a difficult patient who sometimes presented with behavioural problems."
In court, it was revealed that around 2am, Mr Warlow became incontinent and the defendant helped nurse Holly English change his sheets.
Ms English said she rolled him towards her and as she rolled him back he attempted to hit James with his left hand.
Ms Vaughan said: "Immediately, the prosecution say, Primrose James in retaliation or anger smacked Mr Warlow to the left side of his face. She then slapped him multiple times to his face, while telling him off for hitting out at her.
"The prosecution will say she was aggressively poking at his forehead at the same time. And during this assault, she used words and was shouting at Mr Warlow saying things like 'you horrible, horrible man'.
"Finally, she pressed her fingers into the side of his nose with enough force to move his head."
When she was later interviewed by police, James described Mr Warlow as a "difficult patient" but that the only contact she had with him that night was when she blocked his arm from hitting her.
"I was shocked"
Ms English added it was "never appropriate to hit or tap a patient", and said: "As soon as he Mr Warlow went to hit out at Primrose, Primrose slapped him across the face. She was quite angry and confrontational with him.
"She slapped him a couple of times to his cheek and she started poking him on his forehead. It was quite aggressive.
"She then used her finger and pressed to the side of his nose to push his face away from her.
"I was shocked. I felt quite intimidated."
James described Mr Warlow as a "difficult patient" who had previously hit her in the face and kicked her leg.
"He would kick out, lash out, spit - he was difficult to manage," she told the jury.
The nurse of 16 years insisted she did not hit or assault Mr Warlow and was not angry at the time of the alleged incident last year.
The trial, in front of Judge Huw Rees, continues.