A man charged with assaulting an elderly woman at a suburban Adelaide aged care home has been granted bail by a Supreme Court judge. Phillip Jason Athanasos, 45, who had been employed as a carer at the Pines Lodge aged care home at Plympton, was arrested last month and charged with aggravated assault causing harm. The Supreme Court has heard the 81-year-old woman he allegedly assaulted was hospitalised with serious head injuries including bleeding on her brain. Athanasos denies the allegations and the court has previously heard he claimed to have found the elderly woman on the floor of her room after a fall. The carer was initially denied bail by a Magistrate, but sought a review of that decision in the Supreme Court. His lawyer, Martin Anders, told the court Athanasos had the support of his parents and friends, including a colleague at the home. “They speak glowingly of him, his attitude towards patients, fellow staff members and his attitude toward his duties as a carer,” Mr Anders told the court. The court heard the 81-year-old woman had now been discharged from hospital. Mr Anders said the case naturally evoked sympathy, but urged the court to assess the application for bail “dispassionately”. He said his client feared for his safety in prison and had been kept in isolation for his own protection. “He has genuine fear for his safety,” Mr Anders said.
