Nurse accused of hurting patients

Press, 31 August 1977, Page 6

Nurse accused of hurting patients

PA Auckland; A staff nurse at Kingseat Hospital kicked and used force on patients when he became impatient, it was alleged in the Magistrate’s Court at Papakura yesterday. Denis Edmond Sheahan, aged 39, appeared before Messrs F. C. King and G. A. Morgan, Justices of the Peace, on seven charges of striking and ill-treating mental patients at the hospital.

The Justices found that there was sufficient evidence to send Sheahan to the Supreme Court for trial, and an application for suppression of name was declined. The Crown prosecutor was I Mr R. P. G. Haines. Mr C. M.

Nicholson appeared for Sheahan.

Russell John Craig, a hospital aide, said he had been working in Villa 7 at the hospital on January 3 when he had helped defendant take a patient to the “time-out room” where aggressive patients and those who became offensive, were taken.

The patient had only one leg and walked with crutches, Mr Craig said. The patient was rushed up the stairs by Sheahan. and, after dropping his crutches while trying to keep up, he ;was “dragged” the rest of I the way, witness said. I Witness stood at the door while Sheahan took the I patient inside and started reI moving his clothes.

“When the patient became i aggressive and tried to re-| tain his clothing, Sheahan; began to shake him and; kicked him several times in the thighs and buttocks,” said witness. The defendant was wearing shoes and kicking hard enough to hurt the patient, Mr Craig said. The patient was lying on the floor apologising to the defendant. Mr Craig said he had also seen defendant become impatient and aggressive with patients and squeeze their hands, dig them in the ribs, and grab them by the ears, using enough pressure to hurt them.

Another nurse aide at the hospital, Alexander Hurst, isaid he had seen Sheahan

take a severely retarded patient from the dining room |in Villa Seven to the toilets. He had become impatient with the fumbling of the man and had told him to hurry up because he wanted to knock off work.

When the patient became upset and tried to push past defendant, defendant had kicked him in the groin, witness said. He also said he had seen defendant force a patient to drink seven glasses of water, to make him urinate, but it had made the man vomit. | Two nurses from the hospital said they had seen de- | fendant strike patients and ; verbally harass them.

The medical superintendendent of the hospital, lan An-

gus McLean Gibb, said; patients were to be treated with respect by the nursing staff. Staff were instructed to handle patients with a great deal of firmness, but this did not include striking them under any circumstances, twisting their ears, making them drink excessive amounts of water, or removing clothes from them as a form of punishment.

For the defence, Mr Nicholson said that Sheahan had been a nurse at Kingseat for 16 years and was at present a staff nurse in Villa Seven. He said the whole matter was only a “revenge expedition” set in motion by one of I the witnesses who had a grudge against defendant.