Care home owner jailed after elderly woman 'left emaciated and soaked in her own urine due to neglect'

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A neglected elderly care home resident was left “emaciated” by malnutrition and soaked in her own urine, a court heard.

Ivy Atkin, 86, weighed just 3st 12lbs (25kg) when she died from pneumonia, brought about by “wanton and reckless neglect” at the Autumn Grange care home in Nottingham, the court was told.

The care home company, Sherwood Rise Limited, was fined £300,000 at Nottingham Crown Court after pleading guilty to corporate manslaughter – the first such prosecution against a company running a care home in England and Wales.

And company director Yousaf Khan, 47, of Bulwell, Nottingham, was jailed for three years and two months after admitting manslaughter by gross negligence.

The court heard a carer acted as a whistleblower on the conditions at the home, where inspectors found mattresses “dripping” with urine, incontinence pads were frequently unavailable and residents were forced to share clothing, including underwear, following problems with the laundry system.

Mrs Atkin was described as “skeletal” and was “seriously dehydrated” when she died in November 2012, shortly after being removed from the home.

Prosecuting, Jason Pitter QC said: “The failures were so obvious by the time of the final inspection that they did not need to be pointed out.”

The care home had been operating since 1979 but standards had begun to decline when Khan took over from his father in 2010. It had space for 52 residents, and 28 people, including Mrs Atkin, had to be moved to other accommodation when it was closed in November 2012 after the council suspended its contract.

During her 48 days at the home, she had developed a pressure sore on her lower back measuring 18cm by 10cm which became infected. The prosecution said the pressure sore should have been detected sooner and ultimately contributed to her death.

Khan sat in the dock with his head in his hands as his representative said he “apologised unreservedly” for the death of Mrs Atkin.

Elyas Patel QC, defending, said: “(This was) not an evil directorship, but an incompetent and inept one.”

Press Association