Care home worker filmed repeatedly punching bedbound man is jailed

A care worker has been jailed after he was secretly filmed punching a 67-year-old man in the groin as he lay in his bed at a care home.

Ex-care home worker Vangirai Michael Kufa, who appeared at Chester Crown Court on 27 June, has been jailed for nine months after being caught on camera attacking a resident.

Retired electrical engineer George Stenhouse from Northwich in Cheshire, had a rare brain disease called Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. He required one-to-one care 24 hours a day, seven days a week but was attacked by agency worker Kufa on a regular basis.

Unable to communicate, the elderly man is seen on camera trying to attract the attention of Kufa, who had been ignoring him to check his mobile. Instead of helping George, the care worker elbowed the resident in the back and hit him in the groin four times.

Kufa is seen clenching his fist and making sudden movements towards the victim before moving him from his bed and into a chair.

The agency worker drags the pensioner from his bed to his wheelchair without using a hoist or proper equipment.

It was the care home resident's daughter Catherine Walker who installed a secret camera after becoming suspicious when her dad seemed nervous just before night staff arrived.

After connecting a mini camera to her dad’s TV, which linked to her mobile phone, she watched in horror as her father was repeatedly punched in the genitals on 28 February.

"It had only been in for a couple of weeks when we saw the care worker hitting my dad and pushing him around. I was horrified” she said.

After viewing the footage, the victim’s family reported the incident to Cheshire Constabulary.

Kufa had worked in the care industry for more than 10 years. Before his sentencing, the 40-year-old care worker had pleaded guilty to a charge of ill-treating a person without mental capacity.

The incident took place at Avandale Lodge in Northwich, where the care worker worked. Last Minute Nursing allocated Kufa as one of the victim’s carers, under the supervision of the care home.

'Abused trust'

Detective Constable Chris Percival, of Northwich CID, said: “The victim’s family placed their trust in Kufa to look after and care for their father in his dying days – and he totally abused this trust.

“Kufa was more interested in his phone than he was of doing his job of looking after the elderly man. During questioning he even admitted that he had not read the victim’s care plan, despite the fact that he had been working as his carer for more than a month.

“Sadly, the victim in this case has since passed away as a result of his illness and will never know that his abuser has now been brought to justice for what he subjected him to.

“However, I hope that Kufa’s conviction will allow the victim’s family to move forward with their lives, knowing that he will never be able to subject any other family to such an appalling experience.”

George's daughter Catherine Walker now plans to appeal to parliament to get CCTV installed as standard in all UK care homes.

Ms Walker has set up a petition for George's Law which calls for tougher sentences.

To sign the petition click here.