Care worker to stand trial accused of ill-treating Mid Sussex care home residents

A care worker accused of ill-treatment and wilful neglect of two residents at a Mid Sussex village care home is to stand trial.

By Sarah Page

Published 9th Dec 2020, 12:56 BST

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Police say that Wayne Dennis Watkins, 68, of Runcton, Chichester, has been committed for trial at Lewes Crown Court on January 8.

It is alleged that during 2017 and 2018, while working as a care worker at the Horncastle Care Centre in Sharpthorne, near East Grinstead, he ill-treated and wilfully neglected two male residents, contrary to Section 20(1) of the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015.

Watkins was committed for trial when he appeared on bail at Crawley Magistrates Court on December 4.

Horncaste Care Centre closed down earlier this year after being rated ‘inadequate’ by health regulators.