An aged care worker has been found guilty of bashing a dementia patient in his care at an Adelaide nursing home. Michael Mullen, 55, claims the 77-year-old woman received the injuries from a fall. Mullen is due to reappear in court in April before being sentenced. A man who savagely bashed and choked a great-grandmother had targeted the vulnerable in NSW nursing homes during a string of terrifying robberies before being caught by police. Peter Bui, 44, first broke into Orange’s Ascott Gardens Nursing Home in November last year and stole cash from a resident’s wallet before throwing a bag containing a used incontinence pad at a nurse when he was confronted, agreed facts state. About two weeks later Bui snuck into 84-year-old great-grandmother Patricia Maton’s home at Huon Park Retirement Village in Turramurra and stole valuable jewellery including a solitaire diamond ring. Ms Maton returned to her unit after seeing her doctor and asked Bui what he was doing near her jewellery box when he savagely set upon her, punching her to the floor and choking her until she momentarily lost consciousness. Bui’s attack on Ms Maton increased in severity when women walked past the unit down a hallway because she believed he was trying to keep her quiet and once the noise had passed he fled, the fact sheet states. Ms Maton crawled to a phone with multiple facial injuries and called her daughter before emergency crews rushed her to hospital where she had to undergo an operation which revealed a deep laceration inside her mouth. A follow-up consultation revealed she suffers from ongoing symptoms of anxiety and depression following the attack. The next month Bui’s family member took a call from police and immediately phoned him to ask if he had done anything wrong. Bui replied “nothing, but if they ask you anything tell them I was with you on those dates” and the family member hung up on him, according to the documents. Bui, of Orange, was arrested later that day at a service station in Wahroonga and hit with a string of serious charges including the attempted murder of Ms Maton. The documents state before his arrest Bui had also stolen jewellery from a unit on Coollooli Dr in Narrabeen and when he was arrested he was found wearing a stolen watch from the flat. An RSL LifeCare Village is located on that Narrabeen street. Court records show Bui’s attempted murder charge was withdrawn and he will be sentenced in February over multiple other charges including inflicting grievous bodily harm. His matter has been moved up to the District Court for sentencing from the Local Court because his charges are so serious. Ms Maton’s daughter Caroline previously said her mother, who has lived in Turramurra and St Ives for most of her life, had been a resident of the home for only six week before the attack. “She just can’t believe this has happened and she feels extremely violated – your home is supposed to be your safe place,” the daughter said.
November 30, 2020
The Health Services Union and Uniting have a s.739 – (Application to deal with a dispute) to resolve before Fair Work Deputy President Mansini (By Telephone) in Melbourne.
November 27, 2020
ARUMA Services has a s.394 – (Application for unfair dismissal remedy) to counter before Commissioner McKenna (By Telephone) in Sydney (Khan).
November 27, 2020
Bio Health Pharmaceuticals Pty Ltd has a s.394 – (Application for unfair dismissal remedy) to defend before Commissioner Johns By Video (Microsoft Teams) in Sydney (Fung/Ilhan).
November 26, 2020
Eldercare has denied union claims it is sacking personal care workers who choose to work for another aged care provider. The United Workers Union issued a statement on Friday to say that Eldercare was forcing employees to resign should they choose to primarily work for another provider. However, Eldercare said it contacted these employees to ask their intentions and invite them to request further unpaid leave if their circumstances warranted it. Under current COVID-19 restrictions, South Australian aged care staff are only allowed to work at one facility to limit the risk of coronavirus spreading between facilities. The UWU said in statement that “Eldercare is effectively sacking essential aged care workers who have worked throughout the pandemic, telling them they must resign from their positions if they have another aged care job.” The UWU aged care director Carolyn Smith condemned Eldercare’s decision. “Eldercare cutting these workers’ jobs highlights the complete lack of respect management have for the workers who have carried them through the COVID-19 crisis,” Ms Smith said in a statement. “After turning up to work on the frontline every day through this pandemic, aged care workers shouldn’t be punished for doing their part to keep the community safe. These workers have done nothing wrong. For Eldercare to turn around and show them the door is a disgrace,” Ms Smith said.
November 26, 2020
Coast Community Pty Ltd has a brace of s.394 (application for unfair dismissal remedy) to defend before Deputy President Saunders at Level 3, 237 Wharf Road, Newcastle (Gould and Kerr).
November 26, 2020
An elderly veteran living in a retirement village has described lying bleeding in the carpark of the Manunda facility, begging for help after he was allegedly brutally bashed and “hysterically” laughed at by a neighbour. Wayne Maxwell Campbell, 73, spent a week in Cairns Hospital’s intensive care unit and the Cairns District Court heard he would likely have died from his multiple injuries if they had not been treated, following the alleged assault at the hands of fellow veteran Robert Glenn Speakman, 73, in the Warhaven complex where they both lived. Mr Speakman has pleaded not guilty to grievous bodily harm. On the opening day of the trial on Monday, the court heard it was alleged Mr Campbell was repeatedly kicked, punched and kneed during the July 3, 2018 attack and suffered multiple broken ribs, along with other injuries. Crown prosecutor Tegan Grasso said it was only when Mr Campbell said “I’ve had enough, you’re going to kill me”, that Mr Speakman allegedly briefly stopped the attack, but returned to kick him as he tried to stand. “He could barely breathe, he was in agony and he was bleeding from the face,” she said. Ms Grasso told the court another resident who witnessed at least part of the alleged assault then saw Mr Speakman “laugh quite hysterically” before saying “what a girl, what a girl”. In a prerecorded interview played to the court, Mr Campbell said the pair had known each other for several years but did not get on and at the time of the alleged assault they were not speaking. He told the court on the day of the incident Mr Speakman approached him and “looked drunk”. “He asked me if I wanted to fight you old c***,” he said. “I was stunned. I told him to go away and go home.” He said after the alleged assault he was dizzy, sick and struggling to breathe as Mr Speakman called him “an old woman, old bastard”. He managed to get back to his unit, where he collapsed on the lounge room floor. “I realised I was covered in blood,” he said. “I had to get up, I’m not going to die here lying on the floor.” Mr Campbell said he managed to walk next door and ask a neighbour to call for an ambulance. Defence barrister James Sheridan asked Mr Campbell whether he was the “aggressor” in the fight, which he denied. Mr Sheridan also named three other people it was alleged Mr Campbell had previously had disputes with, which he also denied. The trial continues.
November 26, 2020
A s.185 – (Enterprise agreement) application from Cann Valley Bush Nursing Centre Inc for the CANN VALLEY BUSH NURSING CENTRE INC. NURSES ENTERPRISE AGREEMENT 2020 has been agreed by Fair Work Deputy President Masson in Melbourne on 23 November 2020.
