Strangford man accused of abuse at mental hospital

Strangford man accused of abuse at mental hospital

5 January 2022

A STRANGFORD man is one of eight staff members charged with the abuse and neglect of mental health patients at Muckamore Abbey Hospital in Antrim.

James Houston (36), of Elliotts Place, is charged with 22 offences involving six complainants between April and September, 2017.

Along with two other defendants, he also faces 16 charges of making false entries on mental health documents.

The charges arise following a lengthy PSNI investigation into allegations of abuse by staff at the long established residential mental health facility.

Antrim Magistrates’ Court heard before Christmas that there were close to 7,000 pages of evidence and statements in the case.

A request to adjourn the case was made by defence lawyers  for time to examine CCTV footage.

The court heard that in total there were 132 separate alleged offences of false imprisonment, wilful neglect and ill treatment across the widespread indictment.

District Judge Nigel Broderick adjourned the case until January 18.