Bristol nursing home owner found guilty of elder abuse
A nursing home owner's career and reputation have been left in tatters after he was found guilty of assaulting an elderly resident in his care.
Danny Purgaus was convicted of attacking 80-year-old Ronald Thomas at the Overnhill House residential home in Downend.
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A court heard Purgaus grabbed Mr Thomas by the collar, pulled him from his seat and dragged him across the home's lounge floor to an electric fire after he complained of being cold and asked for it to be turned on.
Purgaus, who has 39 years experience in nursing, told North Avon Magistrates' Court yesterday that "not in a million years" would he have attacked Mr Thomas.
He said that he was "very proud" of the care that he had given him.
But presiding magistrate Robert Sheppard and his colleagues decided Purgaus was not a credible witness and that he had been "vague and contradictory" with his evidence.
Family members and the home's former staff celebrated in the public gallery when Purgaus was found guilty of assaulting Mr Thomas by beating between last December and January this year.
The 59-year-old, who ran Overnhill House with his wife, Patricia, for 13 years until it was closed down by the Commission for Social Care Inspection in January, was cleared of a second charge of assault on another resident, Henry 'Harry' Ham.
The court heard a claim that Purgaus had attacked Mr Ham on January 14 after helping another resident to bed, causing a cut to his head and bruises to his hand, arm and buttocks.
But magistrates threw the charge out, saying there was no evidence that a crime had been committed.
Mr Thomas, who had been living on his own in Easton, moved into Overnhill House on December 12 as a temporary measure after a stay at Southmead Hospital.
When he arrived he was frail and walked with a Zimmer frame, and with the help of his family and a social worker they hoped to help him so that he could get back to living at his own home again.
Mr Thomas, who was one of eight residents at the time, often complained of the cold and mentioned it to his friend and fellow resident Gwendolene Lovell, who died in April.
Her evidence in a statement to police before she died helped to convict Purgaus.
The magistrates were also swayed by Mr Thomas' evidence, which was given by videolink.
Speaking after the trial, Mr Thomas' daughter, Annette, said: "I am very relieved that he was found guilty. I think it sends a message out to people in the care industry, particularly with vulnerable adults, that you don't get away with mistreating people."
Purgaus has been released on bail until next month, when he will be sentenced.
2 Comments
by Pat P, Staplehill
Thursday, January 15 2009, 4:15PM
“This report is so heartbreaking. We ran the home for 12 years and made alot of peole very happy. At times we had some very difficult clients. Elderly people who other care homes woulnt even consider. The 2 clients involved in this story were 2 such cases. I do agree with the comment that CSCI are completely inaffective. We informed them of the inappropriate placement of one client on numerous occasions and we were disregarded. Their reply was simply there is no care home that would take him the state he was in. Moving on to Mr Thomas. He required help on all levels both physically and mentally. Without assistance he would not wash, get dressed in clean clothes, he certainly would not cook a meal. Basically he would have self neglected and would have required alot of support from his daughter. Mr Thomas was not a happy man, he needed someone to blame, someone to take his anger out on. He did not want to alienate the only family member he had. So Danny fulfilled the role. Any care home owner who plays an active role in the care of thier clients will appreciate that one of the issues among others that the elderly person has when admitted to a care home can be anger and resentment. Yes! Mr Thomas did make a friend at Overnhill, called Gwen. They sat together in the lounge. I remember Gwen getting fed up of his constant moaning. She was a lovely lady physically capable but mentally incapable. She could walk but nolonger knew how. The staff know how heard i worked to try and maintain this ladys mobility so that her family could take her on holiday to Spain which they were so desperate to do. As for her being a credable witness, her short term memory was reduced to minitues. The poor lady died following her being moved from Overnhill, so this could not be disputed. What makes me so sad is that all the good you do is so quickly forgotten, people so quickly judge you to be guilty and no-one else would ever find themselves in this situation. Let me offer some advice to all those who have any contact with the "vulnerable adult", that you are also in a very vulnerable postion. Do not expect any help, advice or support. You are on your own! My life feels to me like it has been a waste of time, because nobody sees me as i am but as who they think i am. I have cared for people all my working life, it is who i am. Will anyone give me a chance to prove who i am?”
by lynda cook, bristol north somerset
Tuesday, October 14 2008, 8:22AM
“Social services sent me to this home when i was looking for a place for my mother, who suffers from dimentia, and i disliked it from the minute i stepped inside, there was something i couldnt put my finger on , the owner was very gushing and it all sounded too good to be true, the residents didnt look happy at all, i thank god i never put her in this place as i would never have forgiven myself. Social Services have a lot too answer regarding homes, they sent me to some dire places, but i have since found a place for my mother without there help and she is very well looked after which is Saffron Homes run by Brunelcare.”