A CARE worker was caught on camera at a Runcorn care home threatening to kill a dementia patient.

Rotomi Abereoje, 36, posed as a police officer as he terrorised the 71-year-old pensioner in his bedroom, Chester Crown Court has heard.

The harrowing footage was captured on a CCTV camera hidden at St Luke’s Nursing Home in Palacefields by the resident’s family.

In the video, Abereoje pushed the victim onto the bed, saying: “I am the police, I kill you.”

When the victim’s daughter watched the footage, she was appalled by Abereoje’s behaviour.

She saw no evidence of her dad putting up any resistance.

Abereoje admitted ill-treating a person who lacked mental capacity.

Judge David Hale gave him a community order on January 29 to carry out 160 hours unpaid work.

Abereoje, of Dewsbury Road, Anfield, was banned from working in the care profession and with children.

In a police interview, he claimed the pensioner had repeatedly left his bed.

He pretended to be from the police, he said, because this had successfully calmed down the resident on a previous occasion.

Prosecutor Jeremy Decker said: “Abereoje claimed he had been using reasonable force but the threat to kill the victim could not be explained.

“The victim did present challenging behaviour on occasion but the threat to kill and the fact that Abereoje hadn’t noted the incident in the home’s record is unacceptable.”

Abereoje, he said, had blemished a formerly clean record.

“He has a previously good record with no other instances that the authorities are aware of,” Mr Decker added.

“It was also the case that there were staffing shortages at the home on the night in question.

“But why Abereoje chose to make the threat and treat the victim forcefully on that night is a mystery.”

Catherine Murray-Howard, deputy chief executive of Community Integrated Care which runs St Luke’s, said: “CIC is committed to providing quality care to the people we support and we take a zero tolerance approach to all forms of neglect.

“Mr Abereoje worked at the home on a short-term basis in 2014 and was employed via a reputable national employment agency.

“As soon as we became aware that he had acted in this way towards a resident, we took immediate action - alerting the police and safeguarding teams, and informing his employer, who suspended him.

"We have fully supported the police throughout their investigations into this matter.

“We are appalled by Mr Abereoje’s actions. Not only did he cause distress to the resident and his loved ones, his actions also harmed the reputation of a home that provides good care and employs some wonderful carers.

“We hope that his sentencing sends a clear message that the poor treatment of vulnerable people should never be tolerated.

“We would like to thank our colleagues who helped make this conviction possible – because of their actions he will never work in care again.”