A vile woman who beat a 90-year-old woman suffering from dementia has been jailed. Dorothy Kerridge abused Muriel Monroe, who has since died, during the time she was employed as her carer, between November 2012 and February.
Muriel sustained extensive bruising to her face, ears, arms and the soles of her feet.
Kerridge, 56, was convicted of two counts of actual bodily harm and was handed three years behind bars for the horrific violence she subjected elderly Muriel to.
Speaking after the hearing, Muriel’s son Michael said his late mother must have been “scared stiff” during the months she was cared for by Kerridge. He added: “She was a very gentle person.
“It's been an absolute nightmare for us. The last few weeks of my mum's life must have been a nightmare because she couldn't express herself.”
Tragically, the family, from Suffolk, initially dismissed Murial’s complaints about Kerridge due to her dementia. Kerridge also vehemently denied the accusations.
However, the family later became suspicious after they found Muriel had around 15 ‘falls’ and her teeth and glasses were found smashed.
Finally, one of Muriel’s grandchildren, Nicola, raised the alarm.
“My nanny told me she [Kerridge] hit her,” Nicola told the Mirror. “It is hard because my nanny was my whole world. I did believe her but I couldn't understand that someone could do such a thing to be honest.
“It was the evidence of the bruises I took pictures of which made me think 'something's going on here'.”
Speaking during the trial, Judge John Devaux said: “It's clear Mrs Munro spoke out a number of times about the abuse perpetrated against her. It's likely she would have been in fear of further attacks.”