Whorlton Hall: Carer sorry for 'stupid' jokes about patients

Whorlton Hall in County Durham has closed since the 2019 Panorama documentary

A carer accused of ill treating patients at a secure hospital has apologised for making "inappropriate" jokes about them.

Nine former workers at Whorlton Hall, near Barnard Castle, County Durham, deny 27 offences arising from an undercover BBC Panorama film in 2019.

Niall Mellor, the sixth defendant to give evidence, told Teesside Crown Court it was a "stressful" place.

He said jokes were "not professional" but "if you don't laugh you'll cry".

'Horseplay'

Jurors have seen various video clips filmed by undercover reporter Olivia Davies, who posed as a carer at the 17-bedroom hospital for people with extreme behavioural and learning difficulties.

In one clip Mr Mellor, 26, who faces two charges of ill-treating one male patient, talked about "nipping" a patient while chatting with Ms Davies.

Under questioning from prosecutor Anne Richardson, Mr Mellor said that was a "wholly inappropriate" thing to say but he would "never do anything like that".

He said he was joking and wanting to be the "centre of attention", adding: "It was horseplay".

Mr Mellor said: "I would say many absurd things to act the goat, be the centre of attention."

Describing the unit as "not a normal place" of work, he said: "I know how stressful it is there and if you don't laugh you'll cry."

'Pyjamas'

The court heard Mr Mellor used extreme language and insults when talking about some patients, but he told jurors that was "absolutely not" what he thought of them, adding: "Not for one second when I worked with any patient did I demonstrate any of this to them".

Ms Richardson accused Mr Mellor of deliberately "winding up" the man named in the charges by saying "pyjamas" to him when he knew the patient did not like that word.

Mr Mellor said the man's dislike of the word "wasn't constant" and it would be appropriate to use in some circumstances.

In the video Mr Mellor could be seen laughing after asking the man to put his pyjamas on, but he told jurors it was a "sincere" request.

Mr Mellor said he accepted he laughed but "didn't laugh in [the patient's face]", adding: "I thought I was the joker".

He also said he was wary of the man who would often attack staff and "didn't want to let anybody know" he was scared of him.

'Sensationalise events'

The patient had a love of 1980s music but Mr Mellor was "cruel" to him by turning his music down, the court heard.

Mr Mellor said there were many times the music was too loud and could antagonise other patients.

Ms Richardson read quotes in which Mr Mellor told colleagues how he was "creased" when he reduced the volume.

Mr Mellor said he "sensationalised simple events to be the centre of attention" when describing them to colleagues after they happened.

"Was it all just a huge joke to you?" Ms Richardson asked.

"No I don't think anyone on section was a huge joke," Mr Mellor said, adding: "I was just too immature at the time, too stupid.

"These things I've said have never been reflected with the way I've actually interacted with patients."

Ms Richardson said he knew what he was doing was "demeaning and deliberate".

Mr Mellor said they were "just comments", adding: "Every time I worked with a patient I've been spot on".

'Think outside the box'

The seventh defendant, Darren Lawton, 47, said he started working as a carer at Whorlton Hall in April 2018 after 17 years in the army and various other jobs to "give something back" and "possibly benefit me as well as other people".

He said he "enjoyed" the job, which was "tough", but he received "very little" training after a seven-day course on health and safety and restraint techniques.

He said there was a "20-minute" session on learning difficulties but he felt "quite competent", spending 80% of his time being one of the four people who constantly had to monitor a man who could be violent and aggressive.

Under questioning from his lawyer Rebecca Brown, Mr Lawton, who faces two charges against two male patients, said he had a 40-hour a week contract but he would often work 50 hours and more a week including 24-hour shifts.

He said managers told staff to "think outside the box" when trying to calm patients down and stop situations escalating.

'Wrestling move'

He said he felt "physically worn out" at the end of the 12-hour shifts but his "mind was still racing" into the early hours of the morning depriving him of sleep.

Mr Lawton's first charge relates to him "ill-treating" a patient by "simulating an assault" while the man was lying on the ground pretending to be in a restraint.

Footage showed Mr Lawton did not touch the man but made a move as if he were going to tread on him in what he called a "wrestling move".

Mr Lawton said it was "banter" and the patient was laughing, adding the man would have "said something if he wasn't happy".

The second charge claims Mr Lawton "mocked" the man with whom he spent the majority of his time.

Mr Lawton said he had a "very good relationship" with the man, who could be extremely violent, adding: "I'd probably spent more time with [the man] than I had with my own family".

He said the man felt "comfortable" with him as a carer and Mr Lawton "to a degree felt comfortable" around the man.

He said when the man first arrived he had to be permanently restrained, he would regularly attack staff, tear his clothes off or throw faeces, but over time the incident levels dropped and he settled.

Mr Lawton said he "hoped" he had helped play a part in that, adding he never had to restrain the man as he would sit him down and talk to him, "treat him as a person rather than just a patient".

He said he could spend a six-hour stint with the man and the man would have him laughing for the whole time.

'A joker'

Jurors were shown footage of him laughing while describing various incidents and restraints of patients to Ms Davies and other colleagues.

Mr Lawton said he had always been a "joker" and used humour as a "coping mechanism" for his own mental health.

He said Ms Davies was a "good looking young girl" who was "very flirty with the male staff", adding: "She kind of like lured you in."

He said he was "joking around trying to be clever" and the incidents did not happen in the way he described on the footage.

Mr Lawton said confidentiality rules meant staff were unable to talk to people outside Whorlton Hall about what happened there and he was offered no counselling or "outlet for stress" by management.

He said talking about incidents to colleagues was the "only time you could decompress" and trying to "lighten things up and make a joke" helped staff cope with the intense situations.

The nine accused face the following number of charges of ill treatment of a person in care:

• John Sanderson, 25, of Cambridge Avenue, Willington - two

• Darren Lawton, 47, of Miners Crescent, Darlington - two

• Niall Mellor, 26, of Lingmell Dene, Coundon, Bishop Auckland - two

• Sara Banner, 33, of Faulkner Road, Newton Aycliffe - three

• Matthew Banner, 43, of the same address - six

• Ryan Fuller, 27, of Deerbolt Bank, Barnard Castle - 10

• Sabah Mahmood, 27, of Woodland Crescent, Kelloe - one

• Peter Bennett, 52, of Redworth Road, Billingham - three

• Karen McGhee, 54, of Wildair Close, Darlington - two

The trial continues.