Nigerian Caregiver Caught Abusing 88-Year-Old Dementia Patient in UK Just Before His Death

A Nigerian caregiver, Bilikesu Olagunju, has been found guilty of mistreating a vulnerable 88-year-old dementia patient, John Attard, in the United Kingdom, just a day before he was discovered unresponsive and later died in hospital.

The shocking incident, which occurred on Christmas Eve 2022 at Mr. Attard’s home in Bexley, Kent, was captured on hidden CCTV installed by his family. The footage shows Olagunju, 42, violently dragging the frail man across the floor, stripping him in full view of the street, threatening him, and ignoring his cries of pain during a prolonged 45-minute ordeal.

“Maybe I’ll beat you up. I’ll flog you. I’ll take you to the GP for injections. I’ll call the police on you,” she was heard saying during the abuse, as reported by the Daily Mail.

Just six days into her job with care agency Unique Personnel UK, Olagunju ignored instructions to call emergency services when Mr. Attard fell, instead attempting to forcefully lift him, even as he repeatedly said, “You are hurting me.”

She was later arrested and pleaded guilty at Woolwich Crown Court to one count of ill-treatment or wilful neglect. She received a six-week prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, along with 50 hours of unpaid community service.

Mr. Attard’s son, Chris Attard, found his father unresponsive on Christmas morning, with visible injuries and blood on his face. Though rushed to hospital, the elderly man never regained consciousness and died 10 days later. While the exact cause of death couldn’t be directly linked to the abuse, his family strongly believes the trauma contributed to his decline.

“If those cameras weren’t there, she could still be out there doing this to others,” said Chris. “The sentence she got is an insult. What kind of deterrent is that?”

The court heard that Olagunju poured marmalade into Mr. Attard’s coffee—despite knowing he was diabetic—spilled hot coffee on him, and dragged him like “a rag doll.” Chris described his father’s look during the abuse as one of pure agony.

“I found my dad unconscious in bed on Christmas morning. His room was declared a crime scene,” he said tearfully in court. “He never recovered. He died in the hospital seven days later.”

Addressing Olagunju directly, he added:

“When this becomes a distant memory for you, our pain will remain. You can’t undo what you did. Just imagine it was your loved one on that CCTV, and I was the one standing in the dock. What punishment would you want?”

Judge Charlotte Welsh, in her remarks, condemned the care agency’s decision to assign such a vulnerable patient to an untrained carer.

“It beggars belief that someone with no proper training was assigned an elderly man with dementia. Your actions showed a complete failure to treat him with dignity,” she said.

Olagunju remained silent and tearful throughout the hearing. Her lawyer, Mr. Tijani, said she was ashamed, had no prior convictions, and had suffered mental distress since the incident. He argued that her lack of training and support contributed to her failure.

After the sentencing, Chris Attard shifted focus to the care agency, calling for accountability:

“From now on, I’m done thinking about her. My mission is to expose Unique Personnel UK. They should have been in the dock too. This company sent someone unqualified into the home of a vulnerable man—and it cost him his life.”

At the time of reporting, Unique Personnel UK had not issued any public response.