A new thread about those too lenient sentences for care workers who abused patients

[Brycie]

Because the other one went off over the horizon.

Sign in here if you think the sentences would have been a lot longer if the people abused had not had severe mental disabilities.

It was prolonged, premeditated cruelty and some were not even sent to jail.

mencap petition I suppose it's a start.

My mum lives in the same place this home was in. I see it most times I go over and it still sickens me. A man who interrupted a toffs boat race got a longer sentence then some of the so called carers!

I would say it's possible for people to contact the Attorney General's office right now to complain about unduly lenient sentences. The quicker the better.

I have just written to the Attorney General asking if there will be a review of the sentences and linking this thread.

I wasn't on the other thread.

I think this is really important.

Thank you so much for posting on this thread, I sort of left it as I was posting on two others but thank you very much Linerunner and tallwivglasses for those links. I will use them but not through mn (slightly paranoid!) I feel heartened by the sentences, I was also thinking of that rowing race wanker. It makes me so angry, this feels all associated to me with the voicelessness of those Rochdale girls and the powerlessness of Savile's victims, people thinking oh well it's only 15-year-olds/disabled people/horny teenagers etc etc.

Sorry, tired, probably not making sense.

That does make a lot of sense to me. Not trying to steer this off topic but I heard a comment re: Savile groping a teenage girl saying "well this sort of thing happened in the seventies" but that doesn't make it acceptable. That comment actually really got under my skin and upset me a lot. The comparison I'm making is that people probably think that it is terrible but that these things happen and someone else will make sure it won't happen again. We all need to stand up and protect our vulnerable. We need to come together as a society and take collective responsibility.

I'll let you know what reply I get back from the Attorney General's office. It may just be a polite letter back, but I feel like I've at least done something.

The contact details are:

Attorney General's Office
20 Victoria Street
London
SW1H 0NF

General Inquiries: 020 7271 2492
Fax: 020 7271 2429

E-Mail addresses:
All queries: [email protected]
Freedom of Information matters: [email protected]

The sentences are fucking farcical IMO.

Part of the problem, is employing poorly educated staff, with perhaps zero experience, in very demanding roles, and just expecting them to get on with it...no training, no support, where this 'toughness' is almost seen as part of the job.

agree with everyones comments, but the system has also played a part in this.

how did it ever get to this level?

so sad.

Hello I am just going to bump this as I've been away for a day and I want those links to be at the top of my threads.

By the way, it's still going on, I guess you all saw. I agree with people who say you need a better quality of intake and it needs to be a respected profession. I think a lot of it went to crap when nursing became a degree job so that "caring" became a McJob in many people's eyes. Whereas Really good carers are amazing.

I agree that the sentences are too lenient but the problem is much greater than these few carers doing evil deeds. In my opinion:

The manager/senior staff are ultimately to blame. Evil cannot survive in a vacuum. Yes you will always have the odd 'bad seed' but the culture can only become bad if the manager consciously lets it. Managers should be held more accountable and face criminal charges unless they have shown that they have taken every measure possible to prevent abuse.

Care work is at the bottom of the pile, with care of adults with learning disabilities the bottom of that pile. It needs to be better paid and better regulated. Vulnerable adults should be protected exactly in the same way as children.

CCTV should be common-place. I honestly think in the care of vulnerable people care staff need to have something to 'fear'. In the same way as nanny-cams have become quite common I don't see why cameras shouldn't be used.

The CQC must act quicker on whistleblowers. I hope they have learnt something from this affair but in my opinion why are the staff at the CQC who didn't act when they were told of abuses not facing criminal charges? They had the power to stop what was happening and they didn't.

I'm a nursing home manager myself and use the documentary as a teaching tool in my home. I tell my care staff to always care for the residents as if the person who loved them most in the world was watching. And always remember there might be a camera on them .

I agree with everything you say merlot. That's a fantastic post.

"I tell my care staff to always care for the residents as if the person who loved them most in the world was watching." How dare you bring a tear to my eye at 7.30 am.

The Attorney General's Office say that these sentences do not qualify under the unduly lenient sentences scheme.

So that's that, then.

did they explain why LineRunner.

Oh- why not LineRunner? How disappointing.

This was the emailed letter:

"Dear ...
Thank you for your email below about possible unduly lenient sentences in the Winterbourne case.

May I explain that all the charges were for sentences contrary to section 127 (1) of the Mental Health Act 1983, which are not offences that come within the unduly lenient sentences (ULS) scheme.

Our website www.attorneygeneral.gov.uk/ULS/Pages/default.aspx gives full details of applicable offences.

Yours sincerely"

That is shit.
So there is no come back/ appeal on these sentences?

Doesn't look like it.

I wonder why were all the charges were related to the Mental Health Act.

Don't understand really.
Vile crimes with very low sentences.
No appeal re being too lenient seems so wrong.

Oh Lord, so not only are people with LDs treated like shit by the people who were paid to care for them, the criminal justice system doesn't think they've been assaulted either? If it were any other victim, they would have been charged with assault.

"I wonder why were all the charges were related to the Mental Health Act"

Yes exactly! Surely these should have been assault charges. Isn't that discrimination in itself? Mencap should campaign on this.

I think any inspection of care homes should look at the Turnover of employees as another indicator of what is happening in them.
THe sentences were too lenient
There should also be a review of what information is available to family members when they ask for it

quite, zebra - the family of one woman who was abused at Winterbourne View have heard an official concern has been raised over her care at the home she was moved to but say no-one has told them what it was. And SS have moved her again, this time hundreds of miles away from her family, so they can't visit. Which rather limits the chances of anyone noticing if the poor woman is assaulted again.

Were they not assault charges then? What exactly were they charged with to be sentenced so leniently?