Winterbourne View care worker "was kicked unconscious" after BBC documentary

One of the Winterbourne View care home workers who ill-treated residents was kicked unconscious by vigilantes after the abuse was made public, a court has heard.

Eleven staff have pleaded guilty to ill-treating residents at Castlebeck Ltd-run Winterbourne View Hospital and are being sentenced over the course of this week at Bristol Crown Court.

Poorly paid, inappropriately-trained staff working long shifts were left to devise their own methods of coping with people with serious learning difficulties, involving water torture, slapping, pinning down and forced feeding of medication.

And chunks of the sorry saga were captured by an undercover reporter secretly wired for sound and vision, enabling a judge to see and hear the abuse.

The court heard today that support worker Alison Dove was set upon by vigilantes after the BBC aired their undercover Panorama investigation - leaving her with a broken jaw.

The court heard the five residents involved are severely mentally disabled and can be challenging to care for.

Dove was heard saying how she thought resident Simone Blake “loves pain”, before striking her.

Footage also showed Dove pouring water over Miss Blake, and squirting shower gel at her face.

More film showed Dove throwing a hard plastic ball at Miss Blake’s head, as the resident sat in a corridor, and testimony from the undercover reported that she poured mint mouthwash all over Miss Blake.

Virginia Cornwall, defending, said the home was run for profit and her client worked there for a month without any training.

When Dove made numerous requests to do an NVQ in care she was turned down, the court was told.

Miss Cornwall said her client routinely worked long overtime and she and other support workers were usually poorly informed about the needs of people being admitted to their care.

She said that, since the abuse was made public, her client had been kicked unconscious by vigilantes, leaving her jaw broken in two places.

The court watched footage of how support worker Graham Doyle manhandling Simone Blake, with her telling him she is being hurt.

Film also showed Doyle covering Miss Blake’s head with a sheet for some seven minutes as another carer pinned her to the floor with a chair.

The cruel scene was accompanied by the single stimulus of a wall-mounted TV set blaring out pop videos of Lady Gaga and Rihanna.

Doyle was then seen pouring water over Miss Blake before claiming she wet herself.

It was also Doyle who slapped Miss Blake with his gloves and tell her “nein ,nein, nein, nein”.

Charles Row, defending, said his remorseful client would “always be chained to his guilt”.

He said his client, who had started off as a kitchen hand but was invited to work as a support worker, was a follower who, disillusioned, adopted the errant practices without the ability to do otherwise.

“It was the Castlebeck Way,” Mr Row said.

Support worker Jason Gardiner was filmed pinning resident Louisa Deville down, and inviting her to “do her worst”, the court heard.

The defendants, who will be sentenced together on Friday, are:

Michael Ezenagu, 29, of Malabar Court, India Way, London, who pleaded guilty to two counts of ill-treating Simone Blake.

Graham Doyle, 26, of Brackendene, Bradley Stoke, who pleaded guilty to seven charges of ill-treating Simone Blake.

Jason Gardiner, 43, of Mellent Avenue, Bristol, who admitted two charges of ill-treating Louisa Deville and Simon Tovey.

Danny Brake, 27, of Beechen Drive, Fishponds, who pleaded guilty to two counts of ill-treating Miss Blake and Mr Tovey.

Sookalingum Appoo, 59, of Dial Lane, Bristol, who admitted three charges of wilfully neglecting Miss Blake.

Wayne Rogers, 32, of Purton Close, Bristol, who pleaded guilty to nine charges of ill-treating Louisa Deville, Mr Tovey and Miss Blake.

Alison Dove, 25, of Chipperfield Drive, Bristol, who pleaded guilty to seven charges of ill-treating Lorraine Guildford, Louise Bissett and Miss Blake.

Holly Draper, 24, of The Old Orchard, Mangotsfield, who pleaded guilty to two charges of ill-treating Miss Blake.

Charlotte Cotterell ,22, of Melrose Avenue, Yate, who pleaded guilty to one charge of ill-treating Miss Blake.

Neil Ferguson, 28, of Emersons Green, who pleaded guilty to one count of ill-treating Miss Blake.

Kelvin Fore, 33, of Ellesmere Walk, Middlesborough, who pleaded guilty to one charge of wilfully neglecting Miss Blake.

The case continues.