91-year-old widow dies after suffering negligent actions of West Midlands care home nurse, court hears

Jurors at Birmingham Crown Court were told that Iris Teale, described as fragile, slight and poorly, died after suffering a broken femur at the hands of Santhosh Rajan.

Rajan, aged 39, denies Mrs Teale's manslaughter, claiming he did not cause her injuries, which included a bleed on the brain.

Opening the case against Rajan at the start of his trial, prosecutor Robert Price alleged that the staff nurse knew Mrs Teale should only have been moved using a hoist but had nevertheless "mis-handled" the pensioner, causing her injuries.

Mr Price told the court that Mrs Teale, who also had dementia and angina, died in hospital on October 24, 2011 after being injured at the Bupa-run Aston Court Nursing Home in Little Aston, near Sutton Coldfield.

Alleging that Mrs Teale sustained her leg fracture after the limb was subjected to a twisting motion on October 8, 2011, Mr Price said: "The Crown's case is that the broken femur contributed to the death in a significant way.

"We say and submit that the fracture sustained by Mrs Teale was caused by Mr Rajan's mis-handling of her when he was her nurse."

Asserting that the fracture must have been caused by the use of force greater than that required in normal, careful and gentle handling, Mr Price added: "We say that that mis-handling amounted to, at the very least, gross negligence."

The court heard that Mrs Teale's care plan meant she should have only been moved by two people using a hoist.

The Crown alleges that Rajan, of Bentley Lane, Walsall, moved Mrs Teale, when he was caring for her alone, despite a "very serious and obvious" risk of injury.

Giving jurors details of documents relating to Mrs Teale's care, Mr Price added: "The key events, we say, took place on October 8 during the night shift."

Claiming that Rajan moved Mrs Teale "contrary to all good practice" to apply cream to her back, Mr Price went on: "That contact would have necessitated turning and movement which ought to have been carried out by two carers.

"We say that the injuries were caused by the defendant that night when he was on his own in the room with Mrs Teale.

"No one saw him do it but we submit that you can be sure it was him, and sure that he is responsible."

At the start of the trial, which is expected to last for up to a month, jurors were told that Rajan claims Mrs Teale was already injured when he entered her room at about 10.10pm, and that he did not know how she had sustained her fracture.