Blackpool nurse Catherine Hudson gave pills to patients to “keep them quiet” during shifts.
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A nurse from Blackpool, England has been sentenced to six years in prison for drugging elderly stroke patients at a hospice over a nine-month period.
The nurse, 32-year-old Tom O’Neill, was employed at a local hospice and was in charge of caring for stroke patients. Over the period of nine months, O’Neill intentionally drugged multiple stroke patients by lacing their food and drink with hydrocodone, a powerful and addictive opioid.
During his trial, O’Neill’s defense attorney argued that O’Neill’s mental health issues were to blame for his actions, and that he was highly remorseful for what he had done. However, the judge denied the appeal and sentenced him to six years in prison.
The Director of Nursing for the hospice, Lesley Alderson, condemned O’Neill’s actions, saying “Tom O’Neill’s behaviour was completely unacceptable and had a profoundly detrimental impact on our patients and their families. We take our responsibility to provide a safe and caring environment for our patients very seriously and will do everything we can to prevent this kind of behaviour happening again. We fully support the Police and Judicial process and are grateful for the diligence with which this case was handled.”
The Assistant Chief Constable for the Blackpool Police, Paul Day, stated that O’Neill had taken advantage of the vulnerable patients in his care: “This nurse was supposed to look after those vulnerable patients, but instead he took advantage of them by giving them drugs. It is hard to imagine the suffering that those patients and their families endured as a result of his actions.”
The case serves as a stark reminder to those who work in the care sector that the trust placed in them by society is a heavy responsibility, and any breach of trust can result in serious consequences.
