22/10/2012 Inside Out West

Hello from Bristol, where we have exclusive new evidence of abuse at

the Winterbourne View private hospital. Tonight, we talk to the

family of a patient punched in the face years before Panorama went

undercover. No wonder he years... No wonder he struggles now and

still has nightmares about it. Also tonight: Axing the 2nd

Battalion Royal Welsh. We ask: Was this a politically-motivated

decision? Was I surprised? No. Was i it upset? Yes. I'm Alastair McKee,

Hello and welcome to the show. Today, sentencing has begun of the

11 former members of staff here at Winterbourne View. They abused and

neglected patients in their care, and were only stopped after a BBC

Panorama investigation. Now, an Inside Out West exclusive can

reveal the level of abuse here years before Panorama went

undercover, and expose one nurse still free to work after punching a

Winterbourne View, as you've never seen it before, empty, stripped

down and bare as the new owners purge the building. But this is

what it will always be remembered for, the abuse of vulnerable adults

with severe learning difficulties exposed by the BBC. I've been

investigating what happened here before Panorama went in undercover:

Is it understandable for someone to have their teeth knocked out?

all pleaded guilty to most charges and are being sentenced this week.

I've been given exclusive access to the scene of their crimes. Well,

this is the first time journalists have been allowed into film in

Winterbourne View. For one family we've been talking to, what

happened behind these locked doors is something they'll never forget.

My investigation began earlier this year in Paris. I went to meet Tom

Pullar. His twin brother, Ben, is autistic and bipolar with severe

learning difficulties. Emotionally, he's more mature, but in terms of

his understanding of the world around him, it is equivalent to

about a five-year-old's. Ben was just 18 when he was sectioned at

Winterbourne View. He would spend just under a year there, from July

2009, and he would never be the same again. Did your brother's

behaviour change after he'd been to Winterbourne View? Yes, drastically.

He can get very upset very quickly about things that are not that

important. I've taken him to go to the toilet before and he's burst

out crying on me, demand to talk about Winterbourne View. This is

two years later. It still affects him today. Tom showed me

documentation about Winterbourne View. We've also seen his brother's

daily care notes. One entry in particular concerns the family.

Just weeks after he arrived, a support worker wrote that Ben "had

an accident with his teeth". The handwritten note is brief, saying

Ben tried to bite staff, but offers no insight into what happened.

Ben's family say they were given mixed messages and told at one

point that Ben had "bitten the floor". What they do know is how

bad this "accident" was. The first tooth was knocked out in the impact.

They tried to put it back in again. It fell out eventually three weeks

later. The second one dropped out after the trauma within two months.

It was a shock for everybody that he had his teeth missing. He looks

like a completely different person with his teeth missing. He looks

like a dangerous person. He looks like he can't look after himself

and that he's not being looked after. Essentially, that's what

happened. He wasn't looked after and I think he'll always have that

reminder there now because he's got two teeth missing. Not just a

reminder for him but for us as well. Back in the UK, I needed to find

out more about what had happened to knock Ben's teeth out. Bent was

brought here by staff as an emergency patient. From this model,

what happened to Ben was that these two front teeth, the crowns, were

pushed back towards the pallet, and they were mobile, so we assumed

also that the bone holding the teeth in would have been fractured.

It would have been painful, it would have been difficult to bite

and it would have been sore for a couple of days. And what did your

staff think when they saw Ben's teeth? They though the injury he

sustained wasn't consistent with what they were being told. We'd

been told that he had allegedly bitten a carer and the injuries

were sustained from him biting that carer, whereas, because the teeth

were pushed back palatedly, towards the back of the mouth, it would me

more con.. You know, more consistent with receiving a blow to

the teeth. There's nothing in Ben's daily care notes about a punch or a

blow. I heard some running and a shout. Janice Ellwood has 20 years'

experience looking after people with learning disabilities.

nurse involved seemed to be quite proud of the injury that he had and

the attention that he got from having to go to A&E. It was a

single, like a small stab wound. He said it was a tooth. But I didn't

see any additional tooth marks which you'd expect from a fixed

bite or bruising which you tend to get if the bite has latched on. At

the time, I just assumed it was a quick bite, in and out. The

incident was discussed the next day, the next morning, at handover, and

it was, "Yeah, bring it on." When talking about the physical

intervention that was needed for that particular incident, I was

very disappointed. Janice lasted a week. Disgusted with the attitude

of some staff, the levels of care and record-keeping at Winterbourne

View, she left. It's not reasonable to attack a patient in any

circumstances. How would you deal with that incident if you were

being bitten? Once you've been bitten, there's nothing you can do

about it. There's no point in retaliating. What about the police?

Their view at the time was that it I'd say it was extremely

unprofessional. I think that care staff are supposed to care for

patients, not punch them. And then came news that Ben Pullar was not

alone. This is the Serious Case Review. The company came under the

spotlight here. We learnt there were 40 safeguarding alerts about

patients there in three-and-a-half years to South Gloucestershire

Council. You sacked at to middle managers. Do you not feel you

should resign? My priority has been, since a year ago, to ensure that we

implement change. To make sure this can never happen again. And the

police had been contacted 29 times in just over three years. Nine

times when carers were suspected of attacking patients. Is it

understandable for someone to have their teeth knocked out? Now,

looking back on that incident now and understanding the whole pattern

of what was happening at that home, at the residential hospital, it's

clearly not acceptable. At the time, the officer was dealing with

information - reliable information - that came from patients and

carers and that came from other experts in that field. And perhaps

they relied on that information too much. So it's not understandable,

really? It's, you know... It's a very difficult one, and to look

back now in hindsight and say... But we accept that there is

learning for us as an organisation and we will do things differently

in the future. This is all too late for Ben and his family. I wanted to

meet Tom again to go through the Serious Case Review which had

revealed much more about Ben's time at Winterbourne View, including

another assault. The second assault happened within days of Ben's but

teeth had been knocked out. Also, we know from looking at his care

record, that no mention was made of this assault. The only mention they

made wasn't extract here. The only mention that they make was an

extract that I can read to you, just on that page, which is that he

was escorted by three male staff to his room, where he was encouraged

to have a shower. Soon after Ben took his clothes off in his room,

he suddenly stormed out of the room naked, raising his hands and

grinding his teeth towards three members of staff. They had to run

away from Ben towards the main entrance due to entrapment at the

door. Ben had to be tripped down on the floor, naked, to prevent Ben

attacking staff. He was immediately taken to his room where he had a

shower. He was heard crying from his room. Have you seen that

before? No. What do you think of it? How can you trip someone down

when they're running away from you and they're naked? No wonder he

struggles now and still has nightmares about it. I can see

that's upset you. Yeah, it has upset me because he's my twin, you

know. Panorama filmed what was described as "water-based

punishment" of the vulnerable adult, Simone. Was that what happened to

Ben? You don't shower somebody after tripping them down the floor

whilst they're naked, you know. And if he was heard crying from his

room, why didn't somebody go and comfort him? Two assaults on one

patient here in a week. And according to the Serious Case

Review, the second assault did not appear to have been investigated by

the police Public Protection Unit. Avon and Somerset say much has

changed. They point to new safeguarding units, better

knowledge of where vulnerable people are and better co-ordination

with partners. But Ben's family still want them to re-investigate

what happened. We've carried out an extensive investigation into

incidents at Winterbourne View and no stone has been left unturned and

we consulted with CPS and our partners in terms of action we

could take. In terms of our staff, yes, we've worked with staff in

developing their understanding of people with learning difficulties

and we've looked to train not just those staff but all staff in our

organisation. Do you accept that? Err... Do I accept that? I'd like

to see it being implemented. I think it's the most important thing.

I'd like to make sure and ensure that nobody has to go through what

my brother had to go through and what the residents of Winterbourne

View had to go through ever again. And what about the nurse who

punched Ben in the face? He can still work as a nurse. We decided

to call him. Hello, Maxwell? Is that Maxwell? It is Matthew Hill,

BBC. I am ringing to ask why you hit Benn in the face in 2009. I am

recording this for broadcast purposes. The line has gone dead.

He clearly does not want to speak to ask. Castle Beck told us they

new board and management have already reviewed, and will continue

to review, what happened here. They say if any other matters come to

light, immediate action would be taken. Ben's family say they were

kept in the dark about his treatment here and although 11

people have admitted abusing patients, no one has ever

apologised to them for what We will keep you in touch with

Ben's progress. The army is all was a talking point

and we are more than in Tidworth in Salisbury. 2nd Battalion Royal

Welsh is soon to be merged with 1st Battalion. But has the decision

been made for political reasons? To it worth on the edge of the

Salisbury Plain is home to 700 officers of the army mark. It is

one of those to be cut and at the Strategic Defence Review. It is

also home to the Highland Gunners, and right now and they're about to

come home from Afghanistan. How long have you waited for today

to happen? Six or seven months. It has been heard. Very heart.

Emotional reunions are part and parcel of army life but there were

fears that a smaller army could mean more frequent to its pitting

more stress on family. These Highland Gunners have just come

back from Helmand Province. There they have been draining Afghani

soldiers and police. I think it is amazing. He is a Territorial Army

soldier as well so he has to return to his normal job. To get six

months of his life to represent the country in Afghanistan is just

fantastic. Well but Highland Gunners looks sleek as the regiment

no one can be sure that they will not be among the 20,000 soldiers

being cut. It is changing constantly around us but we have to

focus on each other. We're probably not the best people to answer that

question, but saying that, the army is in a state of flux. At the

moment we're just waiting to see where we will stand.

And at the changes announced by Philip Hammond in the summer, the

regular army will shrink from 102,080 1,000. It very old Tory or

army will have a greater role. -- the Territorial Army. This is the

former commander of the Desert Rats in the Gulf war. It is good

evidence to show that even the Republican Guard is not happy, if

that is the case then it is good news from us.

We have to make sure that when you reduce the and you do not send

people away more frequently. In the recent past we have gone for

everything. We're a close nation. We seem to like getting involved.

The second Gulf war and Afghanistan, we were five it took him all the

party many soldiers and bald. -- we were far too involved. We have to

be much more careful how old then we put our hands in. -- who often.

News that the 2nd Battalion Royal Welsh is to be marched with the 1st

Battalion merge with the 1st Battalion has shocked people back

home. Among those campaigning to reverse the decision is the mother

at all but 200 soldier to be held in Afghanistan, Private Richard

Hunt. I have a lot of pictures of Richard.

It is a poignant picture of beer, but as Richard, and this is the

other man that was killed six weeks later. It is one of the only

pictures of the two of them. Then we have his dresser. We have his

cross which has made out of spent cartridges but they do for every

boy but is killed. We have the room and the put onto it and it has sent

home to you. Along with his lovely picture of him. It is made in dock

but it would be can get their hands on. They said they were sorry it

was rough, I said I did not mind because it was made what low-fat

and respect. It is one of their last pictures of him. -- we Lyle.

Despite her close personal link with the battalion, the first she

had all that hot was full up Harman's announcement on the

television. It annoyed me because he said they would much it

battalions. You can only March Italians win a place is going to go

to. The 1st Battalion is also fully manned. There is no way that they

could much the end because the and jobs for him to go to. And if they

went to battalions and regiments outside of Wales, it there are jobs

to go to there, which I doubt, then the only thing they will get its

sent away. Sent away from the army. You can see a building across their

what the single window. There to the right hand side of that. It

makes me so angry that this is the way beer are being treated. It is

like they are saying the job was done and they do will stop it is

part of that the only society. from personal tragedy and

disillusionment, there are those that Green was in need to reduce

the size of the army particularly during the current economic climate.

A thing does make sense. The army has to come down to 80,000. It is

economic. We cannot afford to maintain it. But there is a

suggestion that he acts is falling in the wrong police. And that the

decision over which regiments cut is politically motivated.

Scot's massively over represent a. -- over represented. The Scottish

issue is to do with Scottish independence. David Cameron did not

want to get ammunition for Alex Salmond in his campaign. And to

placate Scottish nationalism is damaging the British Army. Like

most people I was upset at keeping Scotland in Act for obvious

political reasons when they are clearly having difficulty in

recruiting in Scotland. With Scotland, it needs to be treated

with kid gloves. We cannot have Scotland being independent they

just won't play with it. I feel very sorry for the Welsh battalions.

They have to be cut. It is for political reasons. Was a surprise,

no. Was I at the it, yes. It is particularly sad to see something

go on necessarily. Over the past few days there have been

demonstrations over army cuts. Including a march on Westminster

which one former colonel described as the first of its kind since the

days of Oliver Cromwell. Meanwhile at debate in Parliament got heated.

Have we create an affordable and balanced army capable of serious

military capability in the future, a small number of those units and

the Italians will have to be withdrawn from line. Have things

changed in the last 24 months? To such as its then it that we are at

wanting to reduce a sustainable and fighting regiments like the

Fusiliers to one battalion, like the 2nd Battalion Royal Welsh some

early and the Yorkshire Regiment also losing capable and sustainable

fighting battalions. It is a disgrace. If the cuts are not made

as is currently planned, what you do instead? One suggestion its

trees into a more controversial as a territory. But are Kurds. We're

keeping bigger crowds but we have struggled to recruit. We get them

because they were cheaper. Prior to reforms the cost the army a lot

less. Now they cost more. But there reason why I'd we wanted to invest

in an was that they have retired and appalled. Now what the laws

over we become left after retiring lot of them stay here. So there is

a lost revenue stream. I think they could have been cut alongside the

Scottish regiments. Around Salisbury Plain they have enjoyed

the economic benefits of being close to Tidworth. But a pain of

losing that army at be eased by the return of 20,000 troops from

Germany needing new pieces. what is a winner at as far as I can

see. There is a super garrison that might it built Bea. The departure

in that will be in a large were will be around to it war. -- a

large bore. Around her. They will be the run-up permanent basis. It

is actually good news for Tidworth and for Salisbury Plain. Last year

at the 2nd Battalion Royal Welsh were welcomed home up to do with

from Afghanistan., but will it be home for much longer? Britain is

deciding which wars it will face in the future. I could not see myself

in another battalion. It is amazing. They're cracking bunch of people.

Seven with the 2nd Battalion Royal Welsh is a great thing. Coming back

to get there is one of the greatest feeling Samantha and her up. We're

That is about it for tonight. If you would like to keep in touch you

can find its own quota or you can Next week, there promised prizes

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letters are thrown away unread. This is how many tablets I have to