From left to right: Indranee Pumbien, Meghadeven Pumbien and Niphawan Berry

The owners of a care home in Lostock Hall and one of their employees have been jailed for the neglect of two of the homes residents.

Indranee Pumbien, 58, and her husband Meghadeven Pumbien, 62, both of Grosvenor Place, Preston, ran the Briarwood Rest Home.

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Care home owner Indranee Pumbien was jailed for 18 months after being found guilty of three offences of being a carer involved in the ill treatment and willful neglect of a person with lack of capacity. She was found to have force fed two residents.

Her husband will serve nine months after being found guilty of one offence on the same charge.

Niphawan Berry, one of the carers, was jailed for five months after being found guilty of one offence.

The cases of neglect included a 99-year-old female resident who suffered scolds to her legs, and the three defendants failed to seek immediate medical treatment for the woman.

An 80-year-old man was also found to have been mistreated.

Detective Chief Inspector Jill Johnston of Lancashire Police said: “The sentences mark the end of a long and complex inquiry into the ill treatment of residents at Briarwood Care Home.

“We are committed to protecting the most vulnerable in our communities and our priority from the outset of the investigation was to ensure the safety of patients within the home. We don’t believe that the behaviour of Mr and Mrs Pumbien and Niphawan Berry reflects the behaviour of the majority of staff who worked at Briarwood and the care home is now under completely new ownership with the levels of care provided to patients carefully monitored.

“I am pleased that these defendants have been brought to account for their appalling behaviour towards the victims. They were the very people who were trusted to care for the residents and were supposed to look after them, but instead they abused and mistreated them.

“I would like to reiterate our thanks to all the witnesses who came forward in this case. With their help we have been able to put a stop to any further mistreatment and the defendants have been brought to justice for their actions.

“To learn that their loved ones were mistreated by these defendants must have been extremely upsetting for the families of the victims. I hope the fact that the defendants have now been jailed and proceedings have concluded can allow the victims’ families to move forward with their lives.”