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A severely disabled woman was slapped, regularly locked in her bedroom and sworn at, a court has heard.

April Johnstone and Tracy Irene Davies were both employed to look after the woman, who is also autistic, epileptic and has the communication skills of an 18-month-old. The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, also requires two-on-one care.

Swansea Crown Court heard the pair both ill treated the woman, entirely independently of each other.

Prosecuting counsel Stephen Rees said care team leader Johnstone's appalling treatment came to light after concerns were raised by a younger member of staff.

The 51-year-old had been reported as being verbally aggressive to her victim.

Mr Rees said: “When she demonstrated she was hungry, she [Johnstone] ignored her or told her to ‘shut the **** up, you are doing my head in'".

Johnstone was also reported to have told her to go to bed at 6.15pm and told the woman’s father she had taken her swimming - when in fact they never had been.

She also pulled the woman by her arms, shoved her into her bedroom and hit her with her care plan.

On another occasion, Johnstone marched the woman to her bedroom and locked her in after wedging a mop against the door.

Johnstone’s behaviour concerned fellow carers who began making recordings - some of which were shown to the court.

CCTV was also shown of Johnstone and the woman on a day out at Kiln Park, near Tenby, when she was seen slapping the woman’s arm.

On other occasions, she would call the woman a "spoilt brat" and swear at her.

And Mr Rees said the woman was heard "hitting the door and crying" after being locked in her room.

The court heard that co-defendant Davies had also been abusing the woman in her care, but was unaware of Johnstone's actions.

The 49-year-old was said to have slapped the vulnerable woman across the arms and legs. She denied doing so, although later admitted she had "probably lashed out" on a number of occasions.

Mitigating, Tom Scapens for Johnstone told the court: “Nothing can be said to negate the obvious upset and distress that has been caused to [the victim] and her family as a result of this defendant’s offending.

“The most powerful mitigation must be her guilty plea.

“She is remorseful, and rather exceptionally in this court, at an earlier hearing she asked to be remanded into custody because she accepted what she had done”.

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John Hipkin, for Davies, added: “She accepts fully the prosecution case and accepts fully what she did was wholly wrong and can well understand in these circumstances if any apology was rejected.”

He added: “As serious as it is, her behaviour was reactive rather than gratuitous”.

Both defendants pleaded guilty to ill treatment by a care worker.

(Image: South Wales Evening Post)

Sentencing, Judge Geraint Walters said: “Your victim is a young lady who has very severe learning difficulties. Life is challenging for her, and for those who care for her.

“She comes from a loving, extended family who entrusted her care to the two of you and others.

“So severe are her disabilities that it requires two full time carers to look after her at any given time.

“Both of you have appropriate training as to how to manage her.

“You Mrs Johnstone systematically, on the evidence, ill treated her. You described her in disparaging terms, you manhandled her routinely and locked her in a room by using a broom handle to make sure she could not escape.

“You frequently lashed out at her. One on occasion you even filmed her in a state of considerable distress.

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“It is impossible to understand that you could behave in a way that the evidence in this case shows you have.

“This was not neglectful or failing to do what you were paid to do. This was positive ill treatment on a scale most right minded people would find difficult to understand.

“Your behaviour towards her was mean, and incredibly cruel. Normal behaviour is feeling pity. You felt none.”

To Davies, Judge Walters added: “There was never any justification to slap somebody.

“You did not plead guilty until a day was fixed for trial.

“Inevitably there are people in society who can’t be cared for by the most loving members of their family.

“The courts are troubled by such cases where vulnerable people are treated with demonstrable lack of empathy and unlawful force.”

The pair had both been employed by Tyn Y Coed Care. The court heard the firm's management "took action immediately" after discovering what had happened and contacted police.

Judge Walters also paid tribute to the whistle blower, who was named in court as Laura Graham, for reporting the abuse.

He said: “It is rare these days someone as young as she is would behave in such a principled way. I suspect she has a successful career in truly caring ahead of her.”

Johnstone, of Springfield Close in Neyland, received an 18 month prison sentence

Davies, of Trafalgar Road in Milford Haven, was given a four month jail term.

Dyfed-Powys Police refused to release a custody photo of Davies.