A FURTHER four people have admitted mistreating patients at a private hospital in Hambrook.

The charges were brought under the Mental Capacity Act after the BBC’s Panorama programme showed undercover footage of patients at Winterbourne View Hospital being verbally and physically abused. Graham Doyle, 25, of Patchway, admitted seven charges, Danny Brake, 27, from Downend, and Jason Gardiner, 42, from Hartcliffe, admitted two and Sookalingun Appoo, 58, from Downend, admitted three charges at Bristol Crown Court on Friday (March 16).

Doyle had two pleas of not guilty to ill treatment of a patient accepted by the Crown alongside his seven guilty pleas.

All of the offences took place between February and March 2011.

In total, 11 people have been charged with mistreating patients. Two, Michael Ezenagu, 28, of White City in London, and Charlotte Cotterell, 21, from Yate, will stand trial at a date yet to be confirmed.

The Crown Prosecution Service has until Friday, March 30 to decide whether a further five people - Wayne Rogers, 31, and Allison Dove, 24, both of Kingswood, Holly Draper, 23, of Mangotsfield, Neil Ferguson, 27, of Emersons Green, and Kelvin Fore, 33, from Middlesbrough – will stand trial. All have entered pleas to a total of 40 charges but the CPS must now decide whether those pleas are acceptable to the court.

The hospital, which was owned by Castlebeck, was closed down shortly after the Panorama programme aired last May. The 24 residents patients, who all have severe learning difficulties, were transferred to other facilities.