BRUTAL bully Kerry Murphy who punched, slapped and verbally abused six elderly dementia patients at a Runcorn care home has been jailed for 18 months.

Care worker Murphy, aged 27, of Westwood, Windmill Hill, Runcorn, gave the thumbs-up sign to her family as she was led from the dock at Liverpool Crown Court, last Thursday.

Distressed relatives condemned the sentence as far too lenient and say she should have received the maximum tariff of five years.

The distraught daughter of one victim, said afterwards: “It’s disgusting. She should have got longer.

“Our relatives are mentally ill and can’t do anything for themselves. She betrayed their trust and abused them, knowing they couldn’t complain.”

Sentencing her, Judge David Boulton said: “Over 18 months, you systematically abused at least six elderly people in this dreadful fashion.

“It was only the use of violence which led to this conviction.

“All of the complainants are people, not objects. In their old age, they are entitled to be treated with dignity, not to be abused.

“Many of them are old enough to have served in the Second World War.

“It takes great courage for co-workers to come forward and say: ‘This is unacceptable and must stop.’ “In your own defence, you pointed the finger at them and under oath called them liars. That is purgery.

“You bring shame on your profession.”

He described her probation report as ‘a desperately depressing document’.

It revealed she showed no reaction to other people’s feelings, demonstrated no remorse for the victims and was unable to give any motivation or explanation for her offending behaviour.

Murphy denied ill-treating seven residents, aged 70 to 93, at St Luke’s Nursing Home in Palacefields, Runcorn, between 2007 and 2009.

A jury found her guilty of six offences, after a three day trial in Warrington last month.

They cleared her of one charge.

Judge Boulton sentenced her to 18 months on each of the six offences, to run concurrently. She will serve nine months.

Meirion Lewis Jones, QC, prosecuting, said two of the seven victims had since died.

Murphy was convicted of slapping Leslie Barr, aged 70, across the head, punching Ernest Shaw, aged 78, in the head, putting her hand over the mouth of 75-year-old Olwen Simcott, and slapping her on the head, slapping the hand of 78-year-old Margaret Richards, leaving a red mark.

She also slapped 93-year-old Iris Hasset on the hand and grabbed her hair and slapped 80-year-old Gerald Wilding around the head.

The abuse only came to light when incensed fellow night shift workers blew the whistle after witnessing her catalogue of ill-treatment.

Nicholas Walker, QC, defending, said Murphy accepted the jury’s verdict but still denied the offences.

He said: “This has been, in Murphy’s case, a real and total fall from grace following very public and detailed reports of the case in the local area.

“This defendant will never return to this work and that is the only crumb of comfort I can provide to the relatives and witnesses affected.

“Fortunately, there are no lasting injuries although I know this case isn’t about the injury caused, rather about conduct and behaviour.”