THE family of a young mum with dementia-like symptoms fear they will never get closure after the care home worker who mistreated her weeks before her death was spared jail.

Mavis Offei, 64, was employed at the Parklands nursing home, in Thundersley Park Road, Benfleet, in October 2015 when Hollie Turner, from Canvey, became a resident.

Hollie, 21, suffered from Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis (LCH), a cancer-like disease that causes brain tumours. She was placed in the home alongside elderly residents by Essex County Council.

Jurors at Basildon Crown Court found Offei guilty of one count of wilful neglect of a person with mental incapacity following a two-week trial last month.

The court heard that despite Hollie’s care plan specifically stating she should not be restrained, Offei placed her in a half-Nelson arm lock and rammed her head into a chair during a row about a mobile phone on January 11, 2016.

Offei, of Ludlow Mews, Pitsea, told the court she was not aware of the care plan and believed she was using reasonable restraint methods.

Hollie, who was mum to daughter Myah, died just two weeks after she was put into an arm lock - prompting forensic scientists to examine her brain to see whether the mistreatment contributed towards her death. Detectives concluded it did not.

During the sentencing hearing, Sarah Iskarous, mitigating for Offei, said the case was “an isolated incident which lasted a matter of moments.”

She said: “At the time Miss Offei didn’t think she was doing anything wrong, but with hindsight, she is very apologetic. She is ashamed of her behaviour and the distress she has caused.”

Sentencing, Judge David Pugh told Offei: “Hollie had cognitive impairment and her condition meant that physical contact could be painful for her. She deserved and was entitled to have carers who were understanding and showed empathy.

“Hollie should not have been restrained and I am satisfied that you were aware of those guidelines and on January 11, 2016, you completely failed to follow them.”

He sentenced Offei to a six-month prison sentence, suspended for two years and ordered her to carry out 300 hours of unpaid work. She was also ordered to pay £300 court costs.

After the sentencing, Hollie’s family told the Echo they felt justice had not been served.

Mum Sherrie Thompson, 47, who now lives in Surrey, said: “She did not show one bit of remorse throughout the whole trial. It’s not fair, we have not had justice - not for what Hollie has been through.

“We thought that this would be closure, but this isn’t closure.”

Describing Hollie, she said: “She loved life. She was a bubbly, happy-go-lucky girl, who wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

Hollie’s dad Ray Turner, 57, from Hadleigh, added: “I am disgusted with the sentence, shoplifters can get more than that. This isn’t justice at all, she should have gone to prison.”