AN Evesham support worker has been found guilty of assaulting a 101-year-old woman at a nursing home.

Angelina Manuel was given a 12-month conditional discharge for slapping the leg of Elizabeth Woodward, who suffers from dementia.

The 49-year-old was also found to have gripped Mrs Woodward's right leg so tightly that a witness said her nails went white.

Manuel, who lives in Stalls Farm Road, Droitwich, will have to return to the Phillipines because she will not be able to renew her work permit when it runs out in May.

Douglas Marshall, prosecuting, said Manuel was working with Kayleigh Palk to put residents to bed at the Hawthorns Nursing Home in Evesham.

Miss Palk said Mrs Woodward became agitated as Manuel was cleaning her while they got her ready for bed around 7pm.

"At this point Betty became aggressive and started to hit out and kick," she said. I just put my hands in the way so Betty couldn't hit Angie."

She said Mrs Woodward must have kicked Manuel in the face or shoulder area because of the way she reacted.

"I looked at Angie and she didn't look at me, she just said in a calm voice no Betty' and then it was a quick reaction that Angie did," she said.

"She back handedly slapped Betty's leg on the right side of the shin area. It was quite hard because I heard the slap.

Then Angie grabbed Betty's leg. She was clinching her quite tightly because her nails went white at the ends."

Worcester magistrates were shown photographic evidence of a two centimetre (0.8 inch) by two and a half centimetre (1 inch) red mark on the victim's leg.

Defending, Mark Lister said he thought the story had been made up by Miss Palk because she did not think much of the defendant's work, and speaking through an interpreter Manuel denied anything happened on the evening of Wednesday, April 12 last year.

She said: "I didn't hurt her, she didn't kick me. I just cleaned her, that's all. She is a very elderly lady. Sometimes you can see bruises on her arms or legs. To me it's normal to have for a fragile lady."

She was sentenced to a 12 month conditional discharge and made to pay £100 court costs.

l Speaking after the case, Suzanne Hughes, regional spokeswoman for Shaw Healthcare which runs the nursing home, said: "Shaw Healthcare has robust policies and procedures and systems in place to ensure that an effective response to alleged complaints, risks or safety to their residents is implemented should this type of incident occur."

She said that the company carried out a thorough investigation and believe that the appropriate action has been taken. When asked whether Manuel would lose her job she said "at the present time we have no further comment".

Meanwhile, Mel Beardon, Age Concern spokeswoman, said: "Cases of elder abuse are alwasy distressing and heartbreaking. It's really important that older people don't suffer in silence and if they are a victim of abuse they should speak to someone like a friend, a member of their family or their local Age Concern."