A care worker threw a pillow at the face of a dementia patient in her 80s after becoming "irritated and frustrated" by her. She was reported after a colleague witnessed her behaviour.
Hannah Harshani, 39, was working at night shift at St Saviours Nursing Home in Cardiff on January 7, 2021, alongside a colleague. Between 4am and 6am they were in the process of changing the victim's toiletry pad.
A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Wednesday heard the victim was upset, distressed, and shouting during the process as a result of her condition. Harshani was said to have become "irritated and frustrated" after the victim began calling her names.
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The defendant's colleague got something from a cupboard at the Splott care home but upon returning to the room she saw Harshani picking up a pillow from the floor and throwing it aggressively towards the victim. The matter was subsequently reported to the police and the defendant was interviewed where she denied the claim.
Harshani, of Ambleside, West Cross, Swansea, later pleaded guilty to ill treatment or wilful neglect in the role of a care worker. The court heard she was of previous good character.
In mitigation Simon Goodman said his client was suspended and left her job before disciplinary proceedings were reached. The defence barrister said the defendant was "unlikely" to work in this sector again, accepted she was "not cut out for it", and had given up on her dreams of becoming a nurse.
Sentencing, Judge Lucy Crowther said: "[Your colleague] was quite shocked at the carelessness with which you behaved towards [the victim], which was insensitive and frankly cruel towards a lady who was vulnerable. You'd feel like that if it was a member of your family."
Harshani was sentenced to a 12-month community order. She was also ordered to carry out an eight-day rehabilitation activity requirement.
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