A UK-based Nigerian caregiver, Bilikesu Olagunju, has been sentenced after CCTV footage revealed her violently mistreating an 88-year-old dementia patient just one day before he was found unresponsive and later died in hospital.
The disturbing footage, captured on Christmas Eve 2022 at John Attard’s home in Bexley, Kent, showed Olagunju, 42, dragging the frail man across the floor, stripping him, ignoring his cries of pain, and threatening violence.
“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 was heard saying during the 45-minute ordeal.
Olagunju, who had worked with care agency Unique Personnel UK for only six days and was assigned Mr Attard as her first patient, pleaded guilty at Woolwich Crown Court to a charge of ill-treatment or wilful neglect of a person lacking mental capacity.
She received a six-week prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, and was ordered to complete 50 hours of unpaid work.
The following morning, Mr Attard was found by his son, Chris Attard, unresponsive in bed with visible injuries.
He was rushed to hospital but never regained consciousness and died 10 days later. Though the cause of death could not be directly linked to the abuse, his family believes the trauma significantly contributed to his decline.
“If those cameras had not been there, that person could still be out there treating elderly people like this,” said Chris Attard. “The sentence is an insult. What kind of deterrent is that?”
Footage shown in court depicted Olagunju shouting at Mr Attard to stand, stripping him in full view of the street, and dragging him by his arm and collar.
At one point, she ignored advice from her employer not to move him and poured marmalade into his coffee despite his diabetes. She is also seen spilling hot coffee on him, while he repeatedly pleads, “You are hurting me.”
Judge Charlotte Welsh expressed disbelief that someone with no prior experience had been assigned such a vulnerable patient.
“Your actions are evidence of your failure to treat Mr Attard as a person deserving of dignity and respect,” she said. “The family has lost a father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, and their final memories of him are now tainted.”
Olagunju wept silently in court as her lawyer, Mr Tijani, said she was ashamed of her actions and suffering mental anguish.
“She accepts full responsibility and is very sorry,” he told the court. He added that Olagunju had no prior convictions and had only recently arrived in the UK.
Chris Attard, visibly emotional during the hearing, said to Olagunju: “You can never take back the memories you left my father with at the end of his life.
“Imagine it was me on that CCTV assaulting your loved one, what sentence would you expect the court to give me?”
He also criticised the care agency, Unique Personnel UK, for negligence, demanding accountability.
“They should have been in the dock alongside her. This is a care company sending people into the homes of the elderly without proper checks or training.”
As of the time of the report, Unique Personnel UK had not issued a public comment regarding the incident.
