Care worker struck off after secret footage showed her mocking and threatening bedbound dementia patient, 81

A care worker who was secretly filmed mocking and threatening an elderly bedbound man with dementia has been removed from the social care register following a misconduct hearing.

Amina Sani was found to have threatened the 81-year-old resident with police action and warned that a male colleague might hit him after he became distressed at the prospect of being showered against his wishes. The incidents took place at Castlehill Care Home in Inverness on 10 April last year.

The case emerged only after the resident's daughter, Su Christie, installed a hidden camera in her father's room because she was worried about the standard of care he was receiving. The resulting footage was later broadcast as part of a BBC documentary examining care standards at the home, in which families accused the facility of "cruelty" and "neglect."

A Scottish Social Services Council misconduct hearing was shown video covering a period of more than 20 minutes, during which Sani repeatedly told the man he was to be showered. He can be heard screaming "no" and "leave me alone" before swearing at Sani and a second carer. At points during the encounter, the two staff members could be seen laughing.

The panel also concluded that Sani pulled the man's duvet off without warning, leaving him distressed and agitated. She then went on to carry out his intimate personal care while a cleaner held his arms down.

According to the panel's findings, Sani told the resident words to the effect of: "We will call the police and they will take you to court," and, referring to the male cleaner, asked whether he thought "that man is going to hit you?"

The man's daughter told the hearing that her father, a former merchant navy crewman, had carried a lifelong fear of showers rooted in a childhood trauma. Speaking after the ruling, she described watching her father's distress escalate during the filmed interaction without any attempt by staff to calm him or de-escalate the situation.

"He didn't know what was going on. He's a confused 81-year-old man living with dementia. He was frightened," she said. "It was devastating, utterly devastating. I was in shock because, although I knew there were issues, I didn't expect to see that. It was very distressing to watch."

Sani's legal representative told the hearing that her client had not been properly trained and that the role at Castlehill was her first job in the UK. The lawyer argued that the Nigerian worker had herself been a victim of wider problems within the social care system.

Hearing chairman Iain Burke accepted that there had been institutional failures and that Sani had been let down by her employer. However, he stressed that such failings did not remove her personal responsibility as a registered social care worker.

He said the incidents amounted to a "significant abuse of trust and power," for which Sani had displayed no insight or remorse. He added that her attitude and behaviour were "fundamentally incompatible" with registration as a social care worker.

In delivering the judgment, Burke said it was clear from the video clips that Sani had shown no kindness or compassion towards the resident. He noted that she and her colleague appeared to be laughing in response to something the man said or did, adding that it did not appear to be laughter shared with the resident but seemed "more disrespectful in nature."

The panel concluded that the resident had suffered harm and that his dignity had not been respected. It also found that Sani had failed to use any de-escalation techniques during the encounter, despite the man's obvious and mounting distress.

Burke said the panel believed Sani's treatment of the man was "not something that could be remediated with training," because it reflected her underlying attitude rather than a simple gap in knowledge or skills.

In closing submissions, Sani's legal representative said her client wished to apologise to the family. The home's owner, Morar Living, said in a statement that it had acted promptly once concerns were brought to its attention and rejected as "no truth" Sani's claim that she had not been trained properly.

Castlehill, which has since been renamed Morar Highland, was graded "good" in its most recent care inspection. The home has previously been the subject of scrutiny, with a watchdog reporting progress on improvements in December 2025 following the BBC investigation.

Christie said she believed striking Sani off was the right decision. While acknowledging the panel's comments about institutional failures, she said the hearing was fundamentally about individual accountability and sent a message that personal responsibility matters.

"In a care setting, people living with dementia, like my father, should be treated with respect and dignity," she said. Christie moved her father to a new home shortly after the incident.

The ruling highlights the growing use of covert cameras by relatives seeking to verify the treatment of vulnerable residents, as well as the tension between systemic failings in social care and the individual duties owed by registered workers. It also underscores the weight regulators place on dignity and compassion as non-negotiable standards, regardless of a worker's level of experience or the shortcomings of their employer.