Sponsored by
Facebook jibe carer sacked
A CARE assistant who posted cruel and foul-mouthed comments on a social networking site about the elderly residents she was supposed to be looking after has been sacked.
Simone Cox, aged 24, posted the insulting messages on her Facebook page while working the night shift at Chapel Garth care home in Bentley, Doncaster.
Ms Cox was suspended from her job after The Star told her employers about the mum-of-two's online rant.
She was dismissed on Friday after failing to turn up for two meetings with bosses.
Sharon Edens, regional projects manager at Bestquest, who own Chapel Garth, said the firm was "shocked and appalled" by the comments about residents, many of whom suffer dementia.
One of the comments, posted by Ms Cox at midnight using her mobile phone, read: "What a f*****g night. Only been here three hours and have already been pinched and bruised, kicked and punched and had water thrown at me, lil t***s!"
Ms Cox had worked the late shift at the privately-owned home since April and was still on her probationary period.
The next morning she said she was "home now out the way before I killed one of the lil s***s".
Ms Cox told The Star she remembered making the comments, and that she was "very stressed and having a lot to do at work".
A relative of Ms Cox asked her to remove the posts, but she refused. The woman, who works in the NHS, said Ms Cox told her she could "do as she pleases when she pleases".
Ms Edens told The Star Ms Cox failed to turn up to an initial investigatory meeting and a disciplinary meeting last week.
She said: "She failed to turn up so she's been dismissed."
She added her employers were "disappointed" the shamed care assistant didn't attend.
"Everybody has the right to defend themselves. Having said that, I think that with the evidence we had, the outcome was the right one. We felt we had sufficient evidence.
"We were shocked and appalled. We have a policy that quite clearly states staff are not to use social networking sites in any derogatory way towards residents."
Got a view? Leave a comment below.
Follow The Star on Twitter and Facebook:
For breaking news and sport follow The Star on Twitter at www.twitter.com/sheffieldstar and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sheffieldstar .
JOIN THE STAR READER PANEL: The Star is YOUR newspaper, so tell us what you think about it and what you want to see - CLICK HERE.
Don't miss our daily pull-outs - only in the The Star: Monday Star Sport, Tuesday Class Act; Wednesday Business; Thursday Grassroots; Friday Time Out; Saturday Retro. Subscribe to The Star - CLICK HERE
READ MORE
Join the Star reader panel
Main news index
Your letters
Features
South Yorkshire's environmental news
Kids Zone
More business news
More Rotherham news
More Doncaster news
More Barnsley news
Latest sport
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Sheffield
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: East
