A CARE worker has gone on trial accused of ill-treating or neglecting a resident at a respite care home.

A severely-disabled man, now aged 40, was spending a weekend at the home in Cowdenbeath when the alleged incident occurred in 2017.

The trial of Stephen Emmanual, 63, of Baird Court, Lochgelly, has started at Dunfermline Sheriff Court.

He denies a charge that between June 10-11 2017, at Broad Street Care Home, Cowdenbeath, he ill-treated or wilfully neglected a patient under his care by failing to remain with him when he woke up during the night and left him unattended, whereby he fell to the ground in the lounge area and was injured and he thereafter failed to record the incident in the progress notes.

The disabled man’s mother said she had received a phone call from staff at the home to say bruises had been found on her son.

As the injured man is unable to speak, management at the staff were still trying to establish at that time what had happened.

The mother told the court the bruising to her son’s body was “horrendous”.

Anne Paterson, 62, said she had been working on the night shift alongside her colleague, Stephen Emmanual.

She recalled that she was working in the laundry area when Emmanual came and asked for help with the resident, as he had fallen on the floor in the lounge.

“We got him back up and into his room. I asked what had happened but he didn’t answer,” said the witness.

The trial will continue on June 30.