A man caught on a hidden camera hitting an 85 year old woman round the head and shouting at her has been jailed.

The man, who was employed as her carer, admitted ill treatment and neglect of the vulnerable woman and was jailed for more than two years.

Maurice Campbell and his wife Deborah were caught after their abuse was filmed on a CCTV camera in their victim’s Peterborough home.

The footage showed them both verbally abusing the woman who suffers from dementia and Alzheimer’s.

Campbell, 56, was seen twisting her wrist and fingers, putting his body weight on her stomach as she tried to drink and forcefully ramming an object into her mouth in an effort to make her take tablets.

The court also heard he slapped her across the head.

Mrs Campbell, 57, witnessed the physical abuse by her husband but did not intervene.

DC Les Ellmer, who investigated, said: “This case involved some of the most shocking abuse of an elderly and vulnerable victim that I have come across in my career and today’s sentencing reflects that.

“Due to her dementia, the victim struggles to communicate and could not provide a witness statement so without the CCTV in her bedroom, no one would have been any the wiser to the abuse she was receiving.”

The court previously heard the victim was bed bound and required regular visits from carers.

Initially, there were no concerns over the care provided by the Campbells, however, when they went on holiday in March this year, the victim’s family installed CCTV cameras in her bedroom because they were worried about how she would react to stand-in carers.

When the Campbells returned, the camera was left on but it was not until May when the victim’s daughter noticed food splashed on the radiator, bed headboard and the bottom of the bed that she became suspicious and the CCTV was checked.

The Campbells, of Illston Place, Peterborough, both pleaded guilty to ill-treating and wilfully neglecting the victim between March 30 and May 10, 2016.

Today (November 22) Mr Campbell was jailed for 28 months at Peterborough Crown Court.

Mrs Campbell will not be sentenced until January 10.