THREE people have been jailed for multiple incidents of ill-treatment and wilful neglect of elderly residents at an Eden care home.

The trio were sentenced today at Carlisle Crown Court for offences committed at Beacon Edge nursing home, Penrith.

William Bowman, aged 22 from Bowscar, near Penrith, was found guilty this week for committing a sexual offence while working at the home. He had previously pleaded guilty to eight counts of ill-treatment of a person without capacity. He was sentenced to three and a half years in prison.

Chevonne Benson, aged 23 from Roman Road, Penrith, sentenced to three years for 10 counts of ill-treatment of a person without capacity.

Claire Strong, aged 21 from Crooklands View, Clifton, Penrith, sentenced to one year for three counts of ill-treatment of a person without capacity.

Both women also worked at Beacon Edge and pleaded guilty at an earlier court appearance.

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The court had heard that in September 2013, a woman who started working at Beacon Edge had resigned the same day after being appalled at the treatment of residents and reported her concerns to the manager. The Adult Social Care team were informed, which initiated a multi-agency investigation led by Cumbria Police into the ill-treatment and neglect of residents.

After sentencing, Detective Constable Carolyn Willacy, who led the investigation, said: “The level of ill-treatment towards residents by these three was so shocking that a member of staff resigned after working only one shift. She was left distraught by what she saw but displayed great courage and decency by speaking out.

“All of the residents involved in this case suffered some form of mental illness, most from dementia. Their lack of understanding and inability to report the abuse made them an easy target.

“Bowman and Benson abused, degraded, and mocked those people who were under their care. Their vile acts would be recorded by Strong on her mobile phone. They subjected their victims to torment including hair pulling and verbal abuse which left them visibly distressed.

“This has been a difficult time for all of the families involved and we thank them for their support throughout this investigation.”

The family of the victims have released a joint statement: “Due to their illnesses, we do not know how the victims, our loved ones, feel about what happened to them, but we do our best to speak on their behalf.

“The guilty pleas and verdicts provide final confirmation that our relatives were abused at Beacon Edge Nursing Home and this saddens us greatly. The investigation and court case have been extremely distressing for us all and we do not take any pleasure in the outcome.

“There are lessons to be learnt from this case and we hope all involved will work together towards preventing anything like this happening again.

“Finally we would like to thank the woman who had the courage to speak out and those who continue to work and care for our relatives at Beacon Edge Nursing Home. We understand their job is not an easy one.”

Detective Inspector Roy Ledingham, who leads the Public Protection Unit, said: “We have brought these three defendants to justice and this demonstrates how we will not tolerate any ill-treatment or neglect of vulnerable people in our communities.

“The support received from the Adult Social Care team enabled us to investigate the allegations fully and offer support to the residents and their families, which was a priority throughout.

“We encourage anyone who has any concerns about neglect or ill-treatment of anyone in care to contact the police or their local Adult Social Care team. It is important that we all help to look after the most vulnerable members of our society.”

Anyone with concerns can contact Cumbria