Jail for hospital workers after patients sedated for “easy shift“

A nurse and a healthcare worker were jailed after patients were sedated for an “easy shift“ and “amusement“. Catherine Hudson, 54, and Charlotte Wilmot, 48, ill-treated those in their care on a stroke unit at Blackpool Victoria Hospital in Lancashire between February 2017 and November 2018. Sentencing the pair at Preston Crown Court, Judge Robert Altham said their duty was to protect and care for their patients, who were “as vulnerable as anyone could be“. Instead they “exploited them for an easy shift, for amusement, and to exercise a contemptuous power over them,“ he said. Hudson, who was described as the “leading offender“, was sentenced to seven years and two months in prison. The court heard she sedated “all the troublemakers“ and those she considered “a nightmare“. Wilmot, who was supervised by Hudson, was sentenced to three years in prison. Hudson’s partner, Marek Grabianowski, 46, also admitted conspiring with her to steal zopiclone and medication and perverting the course of justice by disposing of evidence. He was jailed for 14 months. Hudson was found guilty of ill-treating two patients. Both women were found guilty of conspiracy to ill-treat a patient by administering sedatives. Wilmot was also found guilty of encouraging Hudson to sedate a patient, while Hudson was found guilty of theft of the muscle relaxant drug mebeverine from an end-of-life patient. She pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to conspiring with other colleagues to steal other drugs including sleeping medication zopiclone - a class C controlled drug - and also a further offence of perverting the course of justice. Wilmot had also pleaded guilty to conspiring to steal medication from the hospital. This video has been edited to remove extreme language. SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel for more videos: Follow Sky News on Twitter: and Like us on Facebook: Follow us on Instagram: For more content go to and download our apps: Apple Android