Nurses get suspended sentences for ill-treating patient at Co Antrim hospital

Two nurses received suspended prison sentences Tuesday for ill-treating a vulnerable mental health patient at Muckamore Abbey Hospital in Co Antrim, with a judge citing their clean records and remorse. Stacey Cooke-Milne got four months and Bronagh Agnew five months, both suspended for two years. District Judge Nigel Broderick said the offenses were aggravated by a breach of trust, noting the victim's family expected him to be cared for at the hospital. Cooke-Milne pleaded guilty to three charges of wilful neglect in June and July 2017, while Agnew was convicted of wilful neglect and falsifying a record in May 2017. Court evidence showed both women failed to intervene or report incidents involving other staff, including a patient being dragged and having his head banged off a wall. Both nurses face being struck off the professional register.