A nursing assistant stuffed a wet wipe into 96-year-old Phyllis Hadlow 's ( pictured ) mouth to silence the dementia patient 's screams . A hospital nursing assistant stuffed a wet wipe into a 96-year-old woman 's mouth to stop her screaming . Deborah Roberts , 53 , forced the tissue into Phyllis Hadlow 's mouth in an attempt to silence her in front of other nursing staff at Kent and Canterbury Hospital . She also poured water over the dementia patient , telling other staff : 'My son said if they do it to you , you can do it to them . ' A court heard how Roberts , 53 , mistreated Mrs Hadlow when the elderly widow was being treated at the hospital . Roberts was found guilty of one count of ill-treatment or wilful neglect of a person without capacity following a two-day trial - but avoided a prison sentence . Mrs Hadlow , who has since died , needed extensive medical care and would occasionally lash out and shout , Canterbury Magistrates ' Court was told . Staff nurse Janet Nelson said she heard screaming coming from her bed and went to investigate , only to see Roberts shove the wet wipe into the elderly woman 's mouth . Roberts told her she did it to stop the patient screaming and Mrs Nelson told her : ' I do n't want to see this again . ' In a separate incident , Mrs Hadlow threw water at Roberts so she retaliated by filling a plastic cup with water and pouring some on her head . Healthcare assistant Lisa Ross said Roberts told her : ' I have had enough of this . My son said if they do it to you , you can do it to them . ' Roger Davies , defending , said Roberts had wrecked a lifelong career and was now unemployable as a nursing assistant . Roberts , who worked at Kent & Canterbury Hospital , also poured water over the elderly widow , telling other staff : 'My son said if they do it to you , you can do it to them . ' He said : 'She did n't think about the consequences of her actions . She will be reminded every week of what she has done and the price she has paid . ' Roberts , from Deal , Kent was suspended after the incident in October 2013 and then sacked . Julie Pearce , chief nurse and director of quality for East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust , said : 'We are very sorry for the care Mrs Hadlow received whilst in our hospital and for the distress this would have caused to herself and her family . 'As soon as we were made aware of these allegations in October 2013 we suspended Mrs Roberts , referred the incident to the police and subsequently dismissed her following a disciplinary hearing . ' Mrs Hadlow 's son , Dennis , 71 , who was too upset to face sitting through the trial , said : 'We know people with advanced dementia can be difficult to handle but the staff are supposed to be trained . ' I am glad the witnesses who saw what happened had the courage to speak out . 'We were told the sentence was one step below being sent to prison , but it will also have ended her career . ' Roberts was given a one-year community order , which includes 120 hours of unpaid work , and was ordered to pay £750 costs .
Nurse Deborah Roberts forced a wet wipe into Phyllis Hadlow 's mouth . Dementia patient , 96 , occasionally screamed out because of her condition . Comment: She admitted wilfully neglecting frail Mrs Hadlow but will not be jailed .