A video has emerged showing the brutal assault an 88-year-old man with dementia, who died just days after suffering violent abuse from a care worker in his home, went through at the hands of his Nigerian carer, Bilikesu Olagunju.
The Guardian reports that the unprovoked assault, which eventually led to John Attard’s death, occurred on December 24, 2022. It was Olagunju’s sixth day on the job.
Now a UK news platform, DailyMail, on Monday, June 30, 2025, in an exclusive report on its website, has revealed CCTV footage showing 42-year-old Olagunju ‘violently degrading’ Attard and hurling him around ‘like a rag doll’ just days before he died.
The CCTV footage, set up by his son, Chris Attard, captured the carer dragging the pensioner across the floor, threatening to “flog” him, and ignoring his pleas of pain.
The following morning, Mr. Attard was found unresponsive in bed with visible injuries, including bleeding from the head.
He was taken to the hospital but never regained consciousness. He died 10 days later.
Olagunju, who was employed by care agency Unique Personnel UK, pleaded guilty to one count of ill-treating or wilfully neglecting an individual under her care. She was sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court to six weeks in prison, suspended for 18 months, and ordered to complete 50 hours of unpaid work.
Prosecutors described her behaviour during the 45-minute visit as degrading and aggressive. “Her conduct towards Mr Attard involved rough handling, verbal aggression and disregard for his vulnerability,” said prosecutor James Benson.
The court was told that Olagunju ignored explicit instructions from her employer to leave Mr Attard alone and call an ambulance when he collapsed. Instead, she continued to pull and drag him, repeatedly threatening violence.
At one point in the footage, she is heard saying, “Maybe I’ll beat you up. I’ll flog you. I’ll take you to the GP to get injections.” Mr. Attard, clearly distressed, repeatedly responded, “You are hurting me.”
Chris Attard discovered his father unconscious on Christmas morning. In his victim impact statement, he told the court, “Three days after he was admitted, I wrote a statement hoping he might recover. Now I know — he never did.”
Though the autopsy could not conclusively link the abuse to his death, Mr Attard’s son believes the trauma played a significant role in his father’s rapid decline. “She left him with memories of fear and indignity at the end of his life,” he said.
Judge Charlotte Welsh acknowledged the emotional toll on the family, telling Olagunju, “Your actions showed a complete failure to treat Mr Attard with dignity. I accept there was no malicious intent and that you show remorse, but your behaviour had lasting consequences.”
The judge criticised the decision to assign an untrained worker to a vulnerable client on her first assignment, calling it “incomprehensible.”
Olagunju’s lawyer, Mr. Tijani, said she was ashamed of her actions and had suffered mental anguish. “She accepts full responsibility and is very sorry,” he said, noting that this was her first role after arriving in the UK.
Outside court, Chris Attard called for greater accountability from the care agency that employed her.
“This company should have been in the dock too. Where were the checks? Where was the training? She never should have been sent to care for anyone, let alone someone as vulnerable as my father.”
