Dami Tobi Ayan: Carer struck patient with Down syndrome in the face hours before he died of cardiac arrest
CAWSTONE, ENGLAND: A health carer has been awarded nine months behind bars after he was found guilty of assaulting a Down syndrome patient, who later died. The defendant Dami Tobi Ayan reportedly struck the naked Ben King in July 2020 at Cawston Park Hospital in Norfolk. The same day when the assault happened, the victim breathed his last because of a cardiac arrest.
The Daily Mail reported that the 62-year-old carer not just pushed and dragged his patient but also hit him repeatedly with his hands in his face. A few hours after the attack, the 32-year-old King was discovered unconscious before he was declared dead. It has been said that his death was not associated with Ayan’s violence but came to the light after a coroner ordered cops to look at CCTV footage from the day.
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'The message must go out'
While sentencing the accused on April 5, Judge Andrew Shaw stated that he showed a “total absence of empathy and dignity” toward King, who was “an extremely vulnerable victim.” The judge added, “The message must go out to those that are supposed to care for the most vulnerable in our society that if you ill-treat them, the court will impose punishment.”
The victim’s father Peter told BBC, “I just can't believe why he would do such a thing to him. I just wish every sadness to that man. It should be a signal to everyone in care. If you know this sort of thing is going on, you need to declare it.”
'It makes you feel sick'
Calling King “my life,” his mother, Gina Egmore, noted, “The day I turned my son's life support off was the day my life stopped too. I feel broken this could happen in a so-called hospital by a carer.” Besides, Paul Falco, a family friend, referring to the surveillance video shared, “It makes you feel sick. You can see that Ben is struggling for breath. He was poorly when he was struck. They knocked him to the floor. You see him crawling around the floor: no-one helped to put him back in the chair.”
Further, Detective Inspector Sam Pontin said after the court issued its verdict saying, “Ayan was in a position of trust and was meant to care for Ben who was extremely vulnerable and had limited means of protecting himself. This trust was abused and it's important Ayan faces justice for this.”
'We are pleased that Ayan has been given a custodial sentence'
Meanwhile, a statement was also issued by the Down's Syndrome Association that read, “Ayan was a staff member at Cawston Hall, the long-stay private hospital (now closed) where three adults who had learning disabilities tragically died. During the course of the investigations into those deaths, Ayan’s appalling behavior was revealed. He was seen on CCTV striking Ben King, a young man who had Down syndrome. Ben later died from unrelated causes.”
It added, “We are pleased that Ayan has been given a custodial sentence, but we feel that the length of time he will serve does not properly reflect the shocking cruelty of his crime against Ben, an extremely vulnerable young man in his care. It is vital that the Government, the NHS, and the agencies responsible for inspecting and ensuring the quality of care, must continue to work together to prevent this sort of incident from ever occurring again in the future.”