Four carers sentenced for abusing County Durham Whorlton Hall patients

Whorlton Hall has since closed. Credit: ITV

Four people have been sentenced for ill-treating vulnerable patients in their care at a County Durham hospital.

All four were previously employed at Whorlton Hall hospital, near Barnard Castle, for patients with high dependency complex needs.

This included patients with mental health and disability issues.

Judge Chris Smith sentenced the four carers at Teesside Crown Court on Friday 19 January:

  • Matthew Banner, 43, no fixed address, was jailed for four months, suspended for 18 months after being convicted on five counts.

  • Peter Bennett, 54, of Billingham, was given four months in prison, suspended for 18 months, after being found guilty of two charges.

  • Ryan Fuller, 28, of Barnard Castle, was sentenced to three months in prison over two counts, suspended for 15 months

  • John Sanderson, 26, of Willington, was found guilty of one count and jailed for six weeks, suspended for 12 months

All four men must also do unpaid work.

Judge Christopher Smith, sentencing the four, told them: “They needed a caring approach from those who had responsibility for looking after them.

“Each of you individually failed those patients and their families.”

Nine carers at Whorlton Hall stood trial, five of whom were cleared of all charges by the jury.

The hospital was privately run by Cygnet, but had been funded by the NHS. Credit: ITV

In May 2019, Durham Constabulary received reports of an impending BBC Panorama documentary on the abuse of patients at Whorlton Hall between 2018 and 2019.

A criminal investigation was launched to respond to the reports.

Immediate action was taken and within 36 hours of the programme being aired, several carers employed at Whorlton Hall were arrested and interviewed by police.

Investigators from the force’s Major Crime Team worked through several months of camera footage during the inquiry, as well as significant amounts of documentary records and witness evidence.

Detective Chief Superintendent David Ashton, who led the investigation, said: “This was an extensive investigation into the mistreatment of vulnerable people who required specialist care.

"We hope that the conviction of those involved provides the patients and their families with some element of closure.

“As a force, we have worked closely with other agencies to prioritise the safety of those patients who, sadly, had suffered from the abuse which was exposed by the BBC Panorama documentary.

“We hope that the successful prosecution of the defendants in this case gives confidence to anyone who may be concerned about abuse in a care environment to speak out and report such matters.”

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