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A carer who terrorised elderly dementia patients during night shifts at a British care home is behind bars after a judge branded him “cruel and almost sadistic”.

Malcolm Cramp, 52, punished vulnerable residents of the home if they were not in bed by the time his shift started at 8pm.

The court heard that one 97-year-old resident was forced into bed and tucked in so tightly she was trapped under the covers. She was left screaming in distress as Cramp, who knew she was afraid of the dark, switched off her room’s light and closed the door.

On a separate occasion he tied the same woman to a chair using a blanket, while three other elderly residents were also abused, including an 81-year-old woman who was dragged out of her chair.

Police were called after a whistleblower at the care home exposed Cramp’s abusive regime.

Leicester Crown Court heard that the offences happened between February 2009 and January 2010, and that the four women patients involved had Alzheimer’s.

Cramp, who was told by the judge that he had “too short a fuse” for care work, was sentenced on Friday after being convicted of seven counts of ill-treating patients who lack capacity.

At the time of the offences, Brockshill Woodlands Care Home in Oadby, near Leicester, was run by Cramp’s then wife, Michelle, 43. She stood trial alongside him but was cleared of two identical charges. The couple, from Wigston, Leicestershire, are now separated and Mrs Cramp is no longer working at the home.

Jailing him for 12 months, Judge Simon Hammond condemned Cramp for failing to treat his patients with “dignity, respect and understanding”. He said: “It became apparent to members of staff, but not his then-wife, that he was unsuitable for such work.

“He’d shout and swear and throw his weight about.

“All four victims were vulnerable, suffering from dementia, and in the twilight of their lives were entitled to be treated with dignity, respect and understanding, which the other staff sought to give, but sadly not the defendant.

“There will be public abhorrence because of these offences, and the sentence must reflect that.”

In relation to the 97-year-old victim, Judge Hammond said: “The defendant’s conduct on that night was cruel and almost sadistic.”

A police investigation into Cramp was triggered by an anonymous tip-off to the Care Quality Commission, following an inspection by the watchdog in December 2009.

The CQC’s subsequent report had rated the 30-patient home as “poor” and noted that it had received information about “allegations of physical and verbal abuse” which were being investigated by police.

When confronted, Cramp claimed that other staff members had conspired in a “witch hunt” against him because his wife was manager of the home, which is privately run by Leicester-based firm Prime Life.

James Wood, managing director of Prime Life, said the company took “immediate action” as soon as it was informed of the allegations against Cramp. He also paid tribute to the new management team now in place at the home. - Daily Mail