Care home owners face corporate manslaughter charge over death of 93-year-old woman who suffered severe burns in bath
- Frances Norris suffered severe burns at a Berkshire nursing home in early 2015
- The 93-year-old died three days later and staff at the care home face charges
- Manager Elisabeth West, director Sheth Jeebun and carer Noel Maida in court
- They will now face a preliminary hearing at the Old Bailey in London on March 31
The owners of a care home in Berkshire appeared in court today over the death of a 93-year-old woman who suffered severe burns in a bath.
Frances Norris suffered severe burns in a bath at the Birdsgrove Nursing Home in Bracknell, Berkshire on February 5, 2015 and died three days later.
Manager Elisabeth West, 45, director Sheth Jeebun, 58, and carer Noel Maida, 48, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court charged with contravening a health and safety regulation.
The care home owners, Aster Healthcare, face charges of corporate manslaughter and breaching a health and safety regulation.
Manager Elisabeth West, 45, (pictured) is charged with contravening a health and safety regulation. She appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court today
Eran Cutliffe, prosecuting, said: ‘The corporate manslaughter charge can only be dealt with at the crown court. The remaining matters are intrinsically linked so they should all be tried together.’
Maia Cohen-Lask, defending, said: ‘We simply haven’t had enough time to get through the charges. It’s a complicated, serious case.
‘In respect of Ms West it is a single health and safety issue.’
West, of Tunbridge Wells, Kent, faces a single charge alleging ‘being an employee of Aster Healthcare Limited, while at work as the manager of Birdsgrove Nursing Home, failed to take reasonable care for the health and safety of other persons who may be affected by her acts or omissions at work, namely the residents of Birdsgrove Nursing Home, including Frances Norris.’
Jeebun, of Weybridge, Surrey, faces a charge alleging that ‘being a Director of Aster Healthcare Limited, a body corporate that committed an offence of failing to ensure, so far as reasonable practicable, that persons not in its employment, including Frances Norris, were not exposed to risks to their health and safety namely the risks of injury from hot water in contravention of section 3 (1) of the Health and Safety Act 1974.’
Frances Norris suffered severe burns in a bath at the Birdsgrove Nursing Home in Bracknell, Berkshire (pictured) on February 5, 2015 and died three days later
Maida, of Fairey Avenue, Hillingdon, west London, faces a charge alleging that being an employee of Aster Healthcare Limited, while at work as a carer of Birdsgrove Nursing Home, failed to take reasonable care for the health and safety of other persons who may be affected by her acts or omissions at work, namely the residents of Birdsgrove Nursing Home, including Frances Norris.’
Aster Healthcare faces a charge that it ’caused the death of Frances Norris by a gross breach of that duty by the way in which its activities were managed and organised in that it failed to adequately the failings in hot water system’.
The second charge alleges Aster ‘failed to conduct its undertaking namely the operation of Birdsgove Nursing Home in such a way as to ensure so far as was reasonable practicable that persons not in its employment including Frances Norris were not exposed to risks to their health and safety namely risks of injury from hot water’.
West, Jeebun and Maida, along with Aster Healthcare, will now face a preliminary hearing at the Old Bailey on March 31.