Amy Florence Jones

Amy Florence Jones died after being scolded in a bath at an old peoples home in Rhos-on-Sea on 6 March 1985.

She had been a resident at the Hilldene Clinic in Tan-y-Bryn Road, Rhos-on-Sea.

She had been given a bath at the home during which she was scolded, but was afterwards put in bed and her injuries were not discovered until two hours later.  Staff discovered that she had burns to her legs, arms and buttocks at about 10pm.

A care-assistant at the home initially denied having given her a bath, but later admitted that he had bathed her at about 8pm, but said that she must have turned up the hot water herself whilst he had been in another room looking for a clean nightie.

She was discovered to have second-degree scald burns two hours later and she later died at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd, Bodelwyddan from bronchial pneumonia brought on by shock.

At her inquest it was heard that it could not be determined exactly how she came to be scolded, whether it was by accident, or whether she had been unlawfully killed, either deliberately or through gross negligence.

The inquest heard that the Director of Public Prosecutions had decided that on the evidence to them that a charge of unlawful killing was not justified. However, they noted that the case was not closed, and it was then up to the police to decide whether a fresh report, following the inquest, should be sent.

It was noted at the inquest that the incident occurred at a time when the nursing home was changing hands and that the new matron and owner had not fully taken charge and had been living at a local hotel.

It was also heard that co-incidentally that there was a fault in the heating system at the time which produced water far hotter than that required and that if the new matron had been resident that it might have been noticed earlier and attention given to it.

The Coroner said that he was driven to the inevitable conclusion that the scalding must have occurred during the bath that the care-assistant had administered, adding that he was not happy with the evidence he had given the police.

However, he told the care-assistant, who it was noted by that time was then working as a care-assistant at another home, that he need not answer any questions that might incriminate him.

The care-assistant then agreed that he had bathed Amy Jones and that there had been pinkish marks on her body, but he denied that he had lowered her into hot water or that he had turned the hot water on. He said that when he later went back into the bathroom after finding her a nightdress that he saw that the water was steaming and that he immediately pulled her out of the bath, turned off the taps and let out the water.

He said that he feared that his career might be in jeopardy and because he was not thinking straight, he dried her and put her to bed. He added that he had not realised that she had been seriously hurt.

However, the Coroner said that he was not convinced that Amy Jones's injuries could have been caused in the way that the care-assistant  described.

The new matron later said: