FORMER care workers accused of multiple charges of abuse have pleaded not guilty when they appeared before magistrates today.
The six men and three women appeared at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates' Court to face charges relating to alleged physical and psychological abuse at Whorlton Hall, an independently run hospital, near Barnard Castle, for vulnerable patients with learning disabilities or autism.
Each was accused of the ill treatment or wilful neglect of an individual by a care worker under section 20 of the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015.
All nine defendants denied the charges, which followed a long-running investigation by Durham Constabulary – codenamed Operation Sarto – into allegations of abuse of patients at the hospital reported in a BBC Panorama documentary in 2019.
Detectives investigating the case have worked through a significant amount of complex material relating to the patients who were cared for at the hospital and there has been detailed consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service.
The accused:
Darren Mark Lawton, 46, from Darlington, charged with wilful neglect of an individual by a care worker on February 2.
Niall Mellor, 24, from Bishop Auckland, charged with the ill-treatment or wilful neglect of a patient.
Sara Banner, 31, from Newton Aycliffe, accused of ill-treatment or neglect of a female in her care on January 24 and of a male patient on January 25, 2019.
Matthew Banner, 41, from Newton Aycliffe, faced five charges of ill-treatment or wilful neglect.
Ryan Fuller, 26, from Startforth, faced ten charges of ill-treatment or wilful neglect.
Peter Bennett, 52, from Darlington faced three charges.
Karen McGee, 52, from Darlington, stands accused of four charges.
John Sanderson, 24, from Willington, faces two charges of ill-treatment or wilful neglect of a patient.
Sabah Mahmood, 26, from Kelloe, stands accused of the ill-treatment or wilful neglect of a patient.
The case was adjourned until December 7, when it will be heard at Durham Crown Court. Due to the complexity of the case and the number of people involved, it may be transferred to Teesside Crown Court, the court heard.
All nine were granted unconditional bail.
