Nigerian care worker jailed in the UK for abusing 88-year-old man

Bilikesu Olagunju, a care worker in the United Kingdom, has been sentenced to prison after CCTV footage showed her abusing John Attard, her client, at his home in Bexley, Kent. 

The videos, obtained by the court, came from a camera set up in the house by Chris, Attard’s son, who discovered his father unresponsive in bed with blood dripping down his face on Christmas morning in 2022.

When Olagunju arrived to her job on Chirstmas Eve, the clips showed how she shouted at the great-grandfather to stand while she struggled to dress him.

Olagunju dragged him by the arm, across the living room floor while Attard said “you’re hurting me”.

The care worker also threatened to flog the 88-year-old man and call the police on him.

Other parts of the footage, according to Daily Mail, showed how she made breakfast while continuing to threaten violence and picking up a plastic marmalade sachet, squeezing its contents into his coffee.

Attard was said to be diabetic and suffering from dementia.

She also pulled his table away, making it difficult for the 88-year-old pensioner to reach any of the food – and spilling hot coffee on him in the process.

Attard died days later. However, an autopsy could not link Olagunju’s actions to his death.

Chris told the court that although a post-mortem could not prove the care worker caused his father’s death, he felt Olagunju’s actions had directly contributed to his passing.

Chris described his father, who had five children, 11 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren, as “kind-hearted, generous, compassionate, and funny”, adding that “he was still enjoying what life he had left”.

He said re-watching the CCTV footage for the purpose of the case had a profound impact on him, and his family.

Olagunju pleaded guilty to one count of ill-treating or willfully neglecting an individual while acting as a care worker.

She was handed a six-week prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, while also being ordered to carry out 50 hours’ unpaid work at Woolwich Crown Court in South-East London.

Attard was Olagunju’s first assignment as a care worker in the UK and the CCTV footage was filmed on the sixth day into her job. She was employed by Unique Personnel UK.

Charlotte Welsh, the presiding judge, said it was difficult to understand why a care worker 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,” Welsh said in her ruling.

The judge said Olagunju’s actions were evident of her failure to treat Attard as a person deserving of as much dignity and respect as others but noted that the care worker showed genuine remorse.

Olagunju’s defence barrister also raised her record of no previous convictions to plead her case.

Chris, however, condemned the sentence as an “insult”.