A care worker who slapped a dementia-sufferer in the face has been sentenced to 110 hours of unpaid work and fined £390.

Afua Donkor, 48, hit resident Patrick Austin around the face several times and shook him by his jumper after he spilt a cup of tea on the floor at Whitton’s Whitefarm Lodge Care Home on February 5.

Donkor, of Danesbury Road in Feltham, accused Mr Austin, who has since died, of punching her in the jaw during her trial at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court on August 3.

Witness Lynne Collyer said she watched "in shock" as Donkor slapped Mr Austin.

She said: "I saw Afua hit Patrick, she slapped him in the face and shook him, I remember he had quite a bright green jumper on, and I remember her shaking the jumper.

"It was with a flat hand and not really hard but controlled, softer slaps, definitely slaps to his face.

"There was absolutely no indication of any aggression from Patrick."

Ms Collyer, who was visiting her mother at the care home, said Donkor and another nurse, Juliana, pleaded with her not to call the police over what she saw.

She said: "The nurses in charge were pleading with me not to say anything to anyone and Afua, who was sat in the corner of an office, was crying and saying 'not the police, not the police'."

Mr Austin had earlier become "agitated" and threw a cup of tea onto the floor, which Donkor had to clean up, the court heard.

Donkor, who had worked at the care home for 16 months, was sentenced at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court yesterday morning (August 24).

A spokesman from Care UK said the organisation has a zero-tolerance policy towards care that does not meet the high standards residents deserve.

He said: "The manager immediately suspended the carer in question and notified the relevant external authorities, who we’ve fully co-operated with during their investigations.

"We’ve already terminated this person’s employment and are completing an internal review into the circumstances surrounding this matter to see if there are any lessons that can be learnt for the future.

"We would also like to take this opportunity to reassure residents, their relatives and the local authority, that the welfare of the people who we support is always our number one priority."