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Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Yahoo
CCTV shows horrific moment carer abuses Bexley pensioner days before death
Shocking CCTV shows a carer subjecting a frail Bexley pensioner to violent and degrading treatment including dragging him around by the scruff of the collar and threatening to beat him up. Last week we reported that Bilikesu Olagunju was given a six week suspended sentence for ill-treating 88-year-old John Attard, who had dementia and died just days after the incident. At 0:30 in the video Olagunju can be seen failing in her duty of care by allowing Mr Attard, half naked, to slip off his chair whilst she washes him in a "brusque and unkind" manner whilst leaving the curtains open. At 1:30 she threatens she attempts to yank Mr Attard off the floor by his arm, then threatens to call the police on him when he complains about her hurting him. Olagunju then called her employer, Unique Personnel, to explain that John was on the floor - she was advised to call an ambulance but instead Olagunju decided to yank John up herself (2:38). Olagunju was in John's room for around 40 minutes so the video does not show the full incident. Later Olagunju told John: 'Maybe I will beat you up. I will flog you. I will take you to the GP to get injections. I will call the police on you.' She also put marmalade in John's coffee and strawberry jam on top of ham on toast – John was diabetic. On Christmas morning 2022, the day after this incident, John's son Christopher found his dad unconscious and bleeding from the mouth – he never recovered and passed away a week later. Though a post-mortem did not find any connection between John's death and Olagunju's actions, Christopher told the carer: 'I personally feel your actions in part contributed to his sudden death.' Olagunju, 42, of Congress Road in Abbey Wood, was given a six-week suspended sentence last Wednesday, June 25, after she pleaded guilty to ill-treating an individual as a care worker. John was Olagunju's first assignment as a care worker in the UK. She was employed by Unique Personnel which claims to provide 'high-quality care, individually tailored to meet the needs of all our service users.' Prosecutor James Benson told Woolwich Crown Court: 'John was 88 years of age at the time of the offence. He had lived in the Hackney area of east London but about two years prior to the events he had come to live with his son at the family address in south London as he was too frail to return home following a period in hospital.' Christopher and his wife jointly cared for John but because they both worked, care workers would come to the address twice daily during the week. At 11.20am on December 24, Olagunju entered the home and was in John's room for around 40 minutes. Mr Benson said: 'In summary, this incident included inappropriate yanking, pulling and manhandling of the victim, inappropriate raising of her voice, threats to the victim that she would call the police, she would have him taken to hospital and injected, she would beat him up and she would flog him. 'And also a failure to preserve his dignity, particularly in the course of washing him and at other times when he's left hanging off the chair and lying on the floor.' Mr Benson said Olagunju washed John 'brusquely and unkindly', leaving the curtains open, stripping him fully naked, and making no attempts to preserve his modesty with a towel. She shouted at John when he struggled to stand whilst being washed, then yanked at him and allowed him to fall to the floor. When Olagunju called her employer to explain that John was on the floor she was advised to call an ambulance but instead Olagunju decided to yank John up herself. A video of the incident shows her dragging him by the arm, then by the scruff of his collar and throwing him down on a chair. Whilst John was then slumped on the chair she began tidying up whilst making threats to beat, flog and call the police on him. Olagunju pictured yanking Mr Attard up by the arm (Image: SWNS) In a victim impact statement, Christopher said: 'It was Christmas morning when I found my 88-year-old father unresponsive in bed. His eyes were open and his breathing was shallow. 'An ambulance was called and he was rushed to hospital. Police also attended my house and my father's room was declared a crime scene. Police officers remained inside my house for most of the day to secure the scene. 'This was the morning after he was physically and verbally assaulted by the very person entrusted to care for him.' Christopher described his dad as kind-hearted, generous, compassionate, funny and said he was still enjoying what life he had left. He said to his wife, an experienced carer, it was clear that Olagunju had either not been sufficiently trained or chose to ignore her training. 'But your lack of training had nothing to do with how you treated him,' Christopher said. 'I constantly think about the fear he must have felt, the indignity of being dragged around and then being yanked off the floor and unceremoniously thrown back onto his chair. It must have been extremely distressing for him. 'But had none of this been captured on CCTV I would never have known what you did and you may still be entering the homes of elderly and vulnerable people to this day, which thankfully you're not.' Despite this, Christopher said he does not hold Olagunju fully responsible. He said: 'Personally, I believe the company that employed you should also be standing alongside you today. Especially when their website claims their team is composed of highly skilled and seasoned professionals. 'Instead, they have washed their hands of you and left you to face the consequences alone, whilst they face no consequences whatsoever. None. 'Had they done their due diligence you should never have been sent anywhere near an elderly person as you obviously do not have the right temperament to care for others.' Bilikesu Olagunju pictured leaving court (Image: NQ) Defending, Mr Tijani said Olagunju accepts full responsibility for her actions. He said: 'She has seen the videos several times and she could not believe she could behave in such a manner. 'She accepts that her behaviour must have caused great discomfort, unhappiness to the family and her behaviour cannot be acceptable in any decent society." Mr Tijani explained that Olagunju had recently arrived from aboard and her first appointment as a carer was with John. 'Part of what led to this unfortunate and sad event was lack of training. She was dealing with a vulnerable person for the first time who she was not equipped to deal with,' Mr Tijani said. Judge Charlotte Welsh, sentencing, said: 'Mr Attard did not strike me as a particularly difficult client. Yes, he was confused and was slow to react, he might not have done exactly what he was told to do when you told him to do it, but surely that is exactly why he required a care worker.' Judge Welsh said: 'Frankly it beggars belief that someone would be allocated an elderly man with dementia as their first client. 'Being a carer is a very, very difficult job and frankly people don't appreciate it until they need it. I am convinced that you had not received the sufficient training.' Whilst she accepted that Olagunju had not been sufficiently trained, Judge Welsh said that does not explain why she chose to ignore the advice to call an ambulance and why she verbally abused him as she did. READ MORE: Former Kent teaching assistant sent and asked for nude photos from teen boy Violent convict armed himself with machete and knives in Thamesmead prison Judge Welsh sentenced Olagunju to six weeks imprisonment, suspended for 18 months. She will be required to carry out 50 hours of unpaid work and 15 days rehabilitation activity. Christopher described the sentence as a 'slight insult' but said he accepts the decision of the court. He said he will not give Olagunju another thought but is now focused on the Unique Personnel care agency who he sees as equally culpable.
The Sun
01-07-2025
- The Sun
Moment carer throws dementia-stricken man, 88, around ‘like a rag doll' & threatens to ‘beat him up' before his death
This is the shocking moment a carer "violently degrades" a frail elderly man with dementia just days before he died. Cruel Bilikesu Olagunju, 42, was caught on CCTV manhandling the pensioner like a "rag doll" in his own home in Bexley, Kent. 15 15 15 Disturbing footage, captured on Christmas Eve in 2022, shows 88-year-old John Attard being stripped naked and dragged across his living room floor during a horrifying 45 minute visit. Woolwich Crown Court heard Olagunju, who was employed by Unique Personnel (Ltd) UK at the time, threatened to beat John up and ignored him as he repeatedly told her she was "hurting" him. At one point she tells him: "Maybe I will beat you up. I will flog you. "I will take you to the GP to get injections. I will call the police on you." The following day, Mr Attard was found unresponsive - with blood dripping down the side of his face. The pensioner was rushed to hospital, where he remained unresponsive, and tragically died ten days after the incident. The horrific ordeal - that his family say he never recovered from - was captured on a camera set up by the great grandfather's son, Chris. She goes on to taunt Mr Attard in the footage by pouring marmalade into his coffee despite knowing he was diabetic and threatening to 'flog' him - a slang term for 'beating him up.' Chris told he was horrified by how visibly distressed his dad looked throughout the ordeal and described his face as "distorted" as he was being "manhandled." Chris said: "She is physically trying to lift him like a rag doll. His face indicates the discomfort and pain he is feeling. "She lifts him off the floor, dragging him toward his armchair. He tells her 'my head is banging'." The carer is repeatedly told by John throughout: "You are hurting me". The court also heard a breakdown of the footage, that starts when Olagunju arrives at 11.20am with the job of washing him and making him some breakfast. After shouting at him to stand, he slips on the floor and as she struggles to dress him, she is seen stripping him naked in front of a window in full view of the street. The carer is also seen dragging him by the arm and scruff of his collar across the floor and "yanking" him up, causing him "great distress". At one point, the defendant is heard calling her employer to explain that John was on the floor. She was advised not to touch him and to call an ambulance. The defendant ignores this request, and instead continued to yank John up herself while complaining "a man" should have been sent to do the job. Olagunju is shown making breakfast as she continues to threaten violence. She picks up a plastic marmalade sachet and squeezes its entire contents into his coffee. John's table is then pulled away from him, making it hard for him to reach any of the food and spilling hot coffee on him in the process. As she leaves the house, she tells him, "Bye, I will report you to the police". 15 15 15 During Olagunju's sentencing, Prosecutor James Benson said her conduct towards Mr Attard had taken multiple forms including "rough handling, verbal aggression, and degrading treatment." Chris said the the following day, Christmas morning, he found his father unresponsive with blood on his lips. He added: "I called 999 for an ambulance. "My wife and I were distraught at his condition and felt the carer's actions were solely responsible for this. "The autopsy could not conclusively prove the carer was responsible. "But the autopsy showed he had bruising on the left side of his chest." During the sentencing hearing, Mr Benson described her actions as "brusque, inappropriate, and uncaring" and said she "played on her victim's vulnerability". Woolwich Crown Court also heard a victim impact statement from Chris, who broke down in tears. He added: "It was Christmas morning when I found my 88-year-old father unresponsive in bed. "He was rushed to hospital and his room was declared a crime scene. "This was the morning after he was physically and verbally assaulted by the very person entrusted to care for him. "Three days after he was admitted to hospital I wrote a victim impact statement. My last words read: 'I am yet to discover the long-term effect this may have on my dad, and his physical and mental welfare'. 15 15 15 "Well, now I know - he never recovered and died seven days later in hospital. "An autopsy could not link your actions to his death - but I feel personally that your actions contributed to his sudden death". Addressing Olagunju, Chris continued: "When all of this becomes a distant memory for you, our pain will still be here. "You can never ever take back the memories you left my father with at the end of his life, and the memories you have now left us with, for the rest of our lives. "If you find it hard to understand how I feel, then just imagine it was me assaulting your loved one on that CCTV. "Imagine I'm the one standing where you are now - what sentence would you like this court to give me?" "For a very long time I was unable to get a full night's sleep due to dissecting the CCTV over-and-over again in my head. "I constantly thought about the fear he must have felt - the indignity of being dragged around and then yanked up off the floor and unceremoniously thrown back onto his chair. "That must have been very distressing for him." Chris described his father, who had five children, 11 grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren, as "kind-hearted, generous, compassionate, and funny". "He was still enjoying what life he had left," Chris added. Olagunju, of Abbey Wood, wearing a light blue satin shirt and jeans, cried silently during the emotional statement. 15 15 15 John was her first assignment as a care worker in the UK. During sentencing, Judge Charlotte Welsh told her: "Frankly it beggars belief that someone would be allocated an elderly man with dementia as their first client. "Being a carer is a very, very difficult job and frankly people don't appreciate it until they need it. "I am convinced that you had not received the sufficient training." "Your actions are evident of your failure to treat Mr Attard as a person deserving of as much dignity and respect as the rest of us. "I accept that there was no malicious intent to your actions and you show genuine remorse. But none of this will help Mr Attard's family. "They have lost a father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, and their memories of him are now tainted by what they have seen on the CCTV footage - and the way you behaved towards him." Olagunju's defence barrister Mr Tijani said she accepted full responsibility for her conduct and was "ashamed" of how she had acted. He continued: "She accepts that she failed in her duty as a carer. "She has been suffering from mental anguish as a result of this incident and has instructed me to tell the family she is very sorry." In mitigation, Mr Tijani said Olagunju had no previous convictions and that Mr Attard had been her first patient, after arriving in the UK from abroad to be a carer. "On the CCTV, you can see a woman who was not trained properly to deal with the situation she was faced with," Mr Tijani added. 15 15 Olagunju pleaded guilty to one count of ill-treating or willfully neglecting an individual whilst acting as a care worker. She was given a six week sentence, suspended for 18 months, along with 50 hours unpaid work, at Woolwich Crown Court. Speaking after the hearing, Chris, who blasted the lenient sentence as an "insult". He fumed: "If those cameras had not been there, that person could still be out there treating elderly people like this. "I was expecting a suspended sentence but the length and community service aspect is an insult. "What kind of a deterrent is that?" He added: "From now on that woman is out of my head, and my mission is to expose this company - Unique Personnel. "They should have been in the dock alongside [Olagunju]. "Had they done their due diligence she never would have been sent near an elderly person. "This is a care company sending people to the homes of elderly and vulnerable people and putting them at risk of harm. "I want to speak about that so this doesn't happen to anyone else." "They tried to excuse it by saying she had only been there six days. But where were the checks and the training?" Unique Personnel has been contacted for comment. 15
Metro
01-07-2025
- Metro
Carer who threw dementia sufferer, 88, around like a 'rag doll' avoids jail
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video A carer hurled an 88-year-old dementia sufferer and threatened to 'flog him' just days before his death, a court heard. CCTV footage captured Bilikesu Olagunju, 42, throwing John Attard like a 'rag doll' at the pensioner's home in Bayley, Kent. She stripped the pensioner and dragged him by the scruff of his collar to his armchair during the 45-minute visit on Christmas Eve 2022. In the video, Olagunju tells him: 'Maybe I will beat you up. I will flog you. I will take you to the GP to get injections. I will call the police on you.' The care worker also poured marmalade into John's coffee, knowing he was diabetic. John was discovered unresponsive with blood on his face the next day, a court heard. He died in the hospital 10 days later. His son, Chris, whose hidden camera recorded the incident, told MailOnline that while a post-mortem could not prove Olagunju was responsible, he believed her treatment of him had contributed to his sudden decline. Woolwich Crown Court heard that Olagunju had caused John, her first assignment as a carer in the UK, 'great distress'. Prosecutor James Benson said John had been 'manhandled' and that Olagunju had 'played on her victim's vulnerability' through 'rough handling, verbal aggression, and degrading treatment'. She ignored advice from her employer on the phone, telling her not to touch the dementia sufferer and continued pulling him up. Olagunju was given a six-week prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, and ordered to complete 50 hours' unpaid work. Chris said his father, who had five children, 11 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren, was 'still enjoying what life he had left' and described him as 'kind-hearted' and 'generous'. He added that having to repeatedly watch the CCTV footage of John being abused had taken a mental toll on him. Judge Charlotte Welsh, sentencing, questioned why Olagunju had been given an elderly dementia sufferer as her first patient and said the carer lacked 'sufficient training'. She accepted that there was no 'malicious intent' on the part of the carer and that Olagunju had shown 'genuine remorse'. The judge said: 'Your actions are evident of your failure to treat Mr Attard as a person deserving of as much dignity and respect as the rest of us.' Olagunju's defence barrister said she was 'ashamed' at her conduct and had suffered 'mental anguish' as a result of the incident. While echoing the judge's point that Olagunju had not been given sufficient training to deal with the situation in which she found herself, he added that the defendant 'had failed in her duty as a carer'. Olagunju's employer, Unique Personnel, was served a warning notice several months after John's death. An inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) found the service to have 'inadequate' leadership as well as unsafe care practices, although its branches were rated as 'good'. The report, published in May 2023, also identified inadequate staff training, failure to carry out risk assessments and poor handling of complaints, including from patients' relatives. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page.
