Muckamore: Elderly witness weeps over brother's mistreatment

Allegations of ill-treatment of patients at Muckamore Abbey Hospital began to emerge in 2017

An elderly man wept as he told a public inquiry how his "vulnerable" brother was mistreated at Muckamore Abbey Hospital in County Antrim.

The witness said his brother was subjected to electric shock treatment at the facility.

The 72-year-old former Muckamore patient, whose first name is Joe, had learning difficulties and had been diagnosed with schizophrenia.

The inquiry is examining the abuse of countless patients at the hospital.

Muckamore Abbey Hospital provides facilities for adults with severe learning disabilities and mental health needs

It is run by the Belfast Health Trust, with the department responsible for health and social care in Northern Ireland.

Joe was a patient at Muckamore over three decades, from 1972 until the early 2000s, and is currently living in care elsewhere.

In a statement to the inquiry on Thursday morning, his brother, Robert, said Joe told him that he knew "who was dangerous" at Muckamore.

The statement also referred to an incident in which Joe head-butted a member of staff.

When his brother asked him what happened before the incident, Joe said "nothing happened".

His brother told the inquiry that the staff member "knew" why Joe head-butted him.

He also outlined how, after leaving the hospital, his brother was adamant that he would "not go back" to Muckamore.

Muckamore Abbey Hospital provides facilities for adults with severe learning disabilities and mental health needs

Robert also explained that his brother never spoke about what happened to him.

He said that when he asked Joe if "anything happened", his brother would reply: "Don't tell".

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As his statement was being read into the record of the inquiry, Robert became became visibly distressed.

He also told that inquiry that he, himself, worked in a mental health setting.

Robert sobbed and wiped tears from his eyes as he added: "I saw how people were treated. I should have picked up on it. I didn't pick up on it".

Describing how their family had a troubled and unstable upbringing, he said his brother was a "a big softie".

Concluding his testimony, he wept and wiped tears from his eyes once more as he addressed the inquiry.

He said: "Thank you for being on Joe's side".

Separately, a 62 year-old man has become the first former Muckamore patient to appear before the public sittings of the inquiry.

The man, who described himself as having special educational needs, was effusive in his praise of staff.

He was a patient there between 2006 and 2016 and said staff "bent over backwards" to care for him.

He said he enjoyed "banter" with members of staff and he could not have received better care.

He also said he did not like it when other patients attacked staff and that he witnessed some patients punching members of staff.

The man, who is now in care elsewhere, said he was sometimes "bullied and harassed" by other patients who were then told to apologise to him as they were not meant "to hurt each others feelings".

Sometimes, he said, other patients had to be restrained.

He also told the inquiry that he never witnessed "anything bad" being done to the other patients by staff.