A Nigerian caregiver, Bilikesu Olagunju, has come under intense scrutiny after shocking footage revealed her physically and verbally abusing a vulnerable 88-year-old dementia patient in the United Kingdom.
The disturbing incident took place just one day before the elderly man, John Attard, was found unconscious and later passed away in a hospital.
The abuse, captured via CCTV on Christmas Eve 2022 at Mr. Attard’s home in Bexley, Kent, shows Olagunju dragging the frail man across the floor, stripping him naked in plain view of the street, and subjecting him to threats and degrading treatment. Despite his repeated pleas and visible discomfort, she continued the assault. At one point, she warned him, “Maybe I will beat you up. I will flog you. I’ll take you to the GP for injections. I’ll call the police on you,” during what was described in court as a 45-minute ordeal.
Olagunju, 42, had been employed through care agency Unique Personnel UK for less than a week before the incident. She later admitted guilt to one count of willfully neglecting or mistreating someone in her care. Woolwich Crown Court sentenced her to six weeks in prison, suspended for 18 months, along with 50 hours of mandatory community service.
The following morning, John Attard was discovered unresponsive by his son, Chris Attard. Blood was seen running down the side of his face. Although he was rushed to the hospital, he never regained consciousness and died ten days later. While the post-mortem examination was unable to definitively link the abuse to his death, the family strongly believes the trauma contributed to his decline.
“If those cameras hadn’t been installed, she could still be out there, treating another vulnerable person this way,” Chris said, expressing anger at what he called a lenient sentence. “The suspended sentence and community service are offensive. What message does that send? Where is the deterrent?”
A Timeline of Mistreatment
The court was shown a full breakdown of the video footage, starting from when Olagunju arrived around 11:20 a.m. She was supposed to assist Mr. Attard with bathing and breakfast preparation. Instead, the footage reveals her shouting at him to stand up, forcibly removing his clothes in front of a window, and dragging him by his arm and shirt collar.
At one point, she phoned her employer to report that Mr. Attard had fallen. She was advised not to move him and to contact emergency services instead. She ignored the guidance and continued to forcefully lift and drag him. “A man should have been sent to do this,” she complained.
The video further shows her pouring marmalade into his coffee, despite his being diabetic, then removing his table abruptly, causing him to spill hot coffee on himself. As Mr. Attard winced in pain and repeatedly told her, “You’re hurting me,” she callously replied, “I’ll flog you,” and reiterated her earlier threats.
Chris Attard described the harrowing experience of watching his father’s face contorted in pain during the abuse. “She was lifting him like he was a rag doll. His expression clearly showed how much he was suffering,” he testified. “At one point, he even told her, ‘My head is banging.’”
Chris also recalled the devastating moment he discovered his father on Christmas morning, lifeless and injured. “It was Christmas Day. I found him unresponsive in his bed. He was taken to the hospital, and soon after, the room became a crime scene.”
Visibly emotional in court, Chris shared the final lines of a victim impact statement he wrote while his father was still alive: “I am yet to discover the long-term effects this may have on my dad.” Choking back tears, he added, “Now I know. He never recovered. Seven days later, he died.”
A Heartbreaking Address to the Abuser
Directly addressing Olagunju in court, Chris said: “Long after this fades from your memory, we will still carry the pain. The torment you inflicted on my father in his final days will never leave us. If you can’t understand how I feel, then picture me doing to your loved one what you did to mine and ask yourself what punishment you’d expect the court to hand me.”
Judge’s Condemnation and Courtroom Response
Presiding Judge Charlotte Welsh strongly criticized the lack of oversight that allowed Olagunju, a first-time caregiver, to be placed with a highly vulnerable patient. “It’s difficult to comprehend how someone with no prior experience was assigned to care for an elderly man suffering from dementia,” she said. “Being a carer requires training, compassion, and understanding and you failed on all counts.”
Judge Welsh further added, “Your behavior showed a fundamental disregard for Mr. Attard’s dignity and humanity. His family has lost a father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. Their final memories of him are forever stained by what they saw on that CCTV footage.”
Olagunju reportedly wept in silence throughout the hearing. Her legal representative, Mr. Tijani, stated that she accepted full responsibility for her actions and was deeply ashamed. “She failed in her professional duty,” he admitted. “She’s been plagued by guilt and mental anguish since the incident. She wishes to express her sincere apologies to the family.”
In her defense, Tijani also noted that Olagunju had recently arrived in the UK and had no prior criminal history. “This was her first assignment. What the video shows is someone who lacked adequate training and was clearly unprepared for the job.”
Family Now Shifts Blame to Care Agency
In the aftermath of the sentencing, Chris Attard redirected his anger at the care agency that hired Olagunju. “As far as I’m concerned, that woman is no longer my focus. My mission now is to hold Unique Personnel UK accountable,” he declared. “They should have been sitting in that courtroom alongside her. If they had done even the most basic background checks or training, this tragedy might have been avoided.”
Chris criticized the agency for failing to vet or train their staff properly before assigning them to care for vulnerable individuals. “This is a company that sends people into the homes of the elderly without verifying their qualifications or readiness. They brushed it off, saying she’d only been there for six days. But where were the safeguards?”
As of the time of reporting, Unique Personnel UK had not issued any public comment on the matter.
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