A Sydney nursing assistant who struck an elderly dementia patient with a bag of her own rubbish inflicted "ongoing gratuitous violence" on the woman who had little dignity left, a magistrate says.
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Dana Maree Gray has pleaded guilty to assaulting the "entirely dependent" then-85-year-old resident at The Poplars nursing home in North Epping in August 2017.
Gray, now 59, had worked at the home as an assistant aged care nurse in the dementia unit since December 2013.
In Burwood Local Court on Monday, magistrate Robyn Denes refused an application by Gray's lawyer for the matter to be heard under the Mental Health Act.
Ms Denes said doing so would "somehow medicalise the atrocious conduct" and it was important such "extremely vulnerable" members of the community be protected.
Video of the 2017 attack, obtained by police, was shot on a GoPro camera hidden by a colleague of Gray's who feared for the residents' safety.
It shows the nurse walking into the 85-year-old's room and staring at her before raising the bed to her chest height.
She yells "move" and aggressively pulls off the woman's glasses and white cardigan before slapping her repeatedly and grabbing her hair to drag her head from left to right.
Gray then empties the bathroom bin, ties the rubbish bag into a knot and swings the contents at the woman's face, hitting her on both cheeks.
"Anyone who watched the video could not help but be moved," Ms Denes said on Monday.
"This was ongoing gratuitous violence. This is a woman who has very little dignity left but to be hit over the head with her own rubbish? The charge of common assault belies how serious this actually was."
The resident, who was using a walking frame, can be heard whimpering and screaming in distress in her dimly-lit room, according to the agreed statement of facts.
The victim's bed was subsequently left in such a high position she could not sit or lie down for a number of hours.
Ms Denes adjourned the matter for sentence until August 15 and asked that Gray be assessed for an intensive correction order that allows for an alternative to full-time imprisonment.
In a letter of apology tendered to the court, Gray said: "I know I would be extremely upset if it happened to my mother. I still can't believe I could do such a thing."
The 59-year-old remains on conditional bail which stipulates she not be employed in the aged-care sector.
Australian Associated Press
