A woman has been jailed for three years in prison today after being found guilty of assaulting a 90-year-old woman in her care.

Dorothy Kerridge, 56 and of West View, Saxmundham, was charged with three counts of assault, one count of ill treatment and one count of neglect between November 2012 and February 2013 in March of last year.

At the time she was working as a live-in carer for the woman, who lived in Ipswich.

In April she was found guilty of two counts of assault at Ipswich Crown Court.

Concerns were raised by the family of the victim after she was found with bruising to her face, legs, arms and feet on numerous occasions.

A joint investigation between police and social care was carried out, which found that the victim suffered numerous injuries whilst being cared for by Kerridge. The victim told her family that she had been slapped by Kerridge and hit with a stick.

Kerridge denied the charges, claiming they were the result of falls. When a new carer was employed, the injuries stopped.

Detective Chief Inspector Jim Gooding from the Protecting Vulnerable People Directorate said: “This was a particularly distressing case, in which an extremely vulnerable person was abused by someone who was entrusted by family and friends to care for her.

“Carers across the county do a fantastic job of supporting people who need assistance, but Kerridge completely abused this position of trust over a number of months.

“ My thanks and praise go to the family of the victim who reported their concerns and assisted us throughout the investigation.

“This has been an extremely traumatic time for them and I hope that today’s court result will go some way to help them recover.”