THREE former care home workers accused of neglecting elderly and vulnerable residents have been cleared of any wrong-doing.

Mary Craddock, 60, of Croft Road, Wallingford, Joan Lovell, 64, of St Leonard’s Lane, Wallingford and Elizabeth Collins, 63, of Kynaston Road, Didcot, were all charged with alleged ill treatment.

The three ex-staff members at the Winterbrook Nursing Home in Cholsey had originally faced 18 counts of ill treatment on a number of residents between April 2015 and July 2017.

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Ms Craddock worked as a carer at the Oxfordshire home while Ms Lovell was both a carer and in a supervisory position with Ms Collins as the manager.

Prosecutors had claimed that all three carried out the ill treatment either as carers themselves or in a position of authority while the alleged ill treatment took place.

A trial was started last year and the case was opened to a jury but those proceedings were aborted as a result of disclosure issues.

During the opening of the case prosecutors said that the residents of the home had been slapped, verbally abused and denied use of the toilet for up to 90 minutes. The case was stopped after the opening.

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At a hearing earlier this month at Oxford Crown Court both Ms Lovell and Ms Collins were cleared of any wrong-doing after prosecutors offered 'no evidence' in the case.

The last of the three, Ms Craddock, appeared at the same court this morning for a hearing to determine if a future trial would be sought.

At that hearing the Crown Prosecution Service said it had taken the decision to formally offer no evidence and the case was dropped.

Presiding Judge Nigel Daly entered a not guilty verdict meaning all three have now been cleared of any wrong-doing and formally acquitted.