by Katie Lamborn

A north Kent nursing home carer has been jailed for four months for hitting a 90-year-old patient around the face with an incontinence pad.

In March 2009, Gift Mwakyusa, 27 was seen with Anna Ramos, 25, of St Paul’s Street, Clitheroe, Lancashire abusing an elderly resident at the Rosewood Care Home in Greenhithe.

The patient was sitting up on her bed unclothed while the two carers were taunting her by hitting her around the face and body with an incontinence pad.

When another carer saw them and asked them to stop they didn't.

The court heard Mwakyusa was from Tanzania and was part-way through a two-year period of study.

Mwakyusa of Uplands Close, London was found guilty at a previous hearing at Medway Magistrates Court last month, where she pleaded not guilty to common assault.

Judge Michael Kelly said: “This is a very distressing case and is made all the worse that this lady was slapped a number of times.

He said: “You treated her with contempt and almost tortured her, taunting her, laughing at her – abusing her.

The abuse was not reported until two months later.

Ramos was found in Lancashire, where she was charged with the offence but failed to turn up to court. She was found guilty in her absence and a warrant for her arrest was issued.

The home's manager at the time was removed from post and another woman was arrested in connection with the assault and cautioned by the police for perverting the course of justice.

Neither will work in the nursing field again.

The victim's family have called the incident "sickening".

“She is in the last years of her life and she should be safe and happy in this time and not at risk of abuse from carers who should never be allowed to work in this profession again.”