Three Dundee carers have been found not guilty of neglecting vulnerable adults by taking them to a strip show Christmas night out.
Caitlin Gibb, Shannon Briggs and Samantha Brunton had been accused of ill-treating and wilfully neglecting people in their care by taking them to the “full-frontal” strip show in December 2018.
It is alleged they took two residents in a minibus from the Linlathen Neurodisability Centre, to Baxter’s Function Suite on Raglan Street for the show.
The lengthy trial ended with all three formally acquitted.
Trial collapses
Gibb, 22, Briggs, 24, and Brunton, 36, all from Dundee, had denied drinking alcohol while in charge of the female residents and allowing them to drink alcohol without supervision.
When the trial resumed after nearly two months on Friday, Linlathen Neurodisability Centre staff nurse Susan Henry was questioned on a statement she provided police in January 2019, almost two months after the allegations took place.
The 49-year-old told the court she had not seen any of the accused under the influence of alcohol on the date in question.
Asked if the signature on her police statement was hers, Miss Henry responded yes.
Under repeated questioning by depute fiscal Carrie-Anne Mackenzie, Miss Henry said the women “did not look like they’d had a drink.”
Ms Mackenzie then finished her line of questions and Sheriff David Hall declared the case was no longer proceeding, meaning the trio are not guilty and were free to leave.
Previous trial evidence
The trial had previously heard from Lisa Dolan, 47, a resident at Linlathen Neurodisability Centre in December 2018.
She told the court she agreed to go on the trip because it was on the “bucket list” of another resident and thought it would be like the light-hearted 90s movie, The Full Monty.
Instead, Ms Dolan said she was exposed to a “full-frontal” dance from a male stripper.
She said: “I was a wee bit drunk at the end of the night.
“One of the strippers came up to me, he was full frontal (nude).
“He put his leg over the side of my chair and sat on my knee.
“I didn’t know what was going to happen.
“I tried to push him away. He did go away.”
The court was told senior staff members, including staff nurse Maureen Donnelly, were aware residents were being taken to an adult entertainment show at Baxter’s Function Suite.
The care home’s minibus was used to transport them there.
One of the complainers, Sandra McGowan, caught Covid-19 and died before the trial started.
The venue has since been demolished.
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