A DUDLEY carer is facing jail after he sprayed deodorant over a man with severe learning disabilities, leaving him with a white coating over his head.

Nicholas Howard, who worked for Lifeways Community Care, also grabbed the man by the ears at his supported living accommodation in Wordsley.

The 32-year-old had denied wilfully neglecting a person without mental capacity but he was convicted by a jury at the end of his trial.

Simon Phillips, prosecuting, told Wolverhampton Crown Court that members of staff had seen Howard close the door to the victim's bungalow in Badger Court, off the Brierley Hill Road, as he prepared to end his shift.

When they had checked on the man, they discovered he had been sprayed with the deodorant, although one member of staff thought he had been covered in flour.

The police were immediately informed and Howard was suspended from his position.

The jury were told the victim was extremely vulnerable and needed 24/7 care as he was unable to complete the simplest of tasks.

But in evidence, Howard, of Roberts Green Road, said he had left his overnight bag containing deodorant in the lounge of the man's bungalow and he believed he had sprayed himself with the can.

"I would never dream about leaving him covered with that stuff," said Howard.

"I did not do it and I did nothing to cause the bruising to his ears."

Howard accepted the man could be "challenging" but said: "I have never lost my temper with a client. I have no idea how he sustained the injuries."

He told the court he had changed the man, who is in his forties, adding that he had only used deodorant under his armpits before putting it back into one of the cupboards in the bungalow.

"I would not have done anything to jeopardise my job," concluded the former factory worker, who said he had entered the care industry for "the gratification you get from looking after someone less fortunate than yourself".

He continued: "I took his condition very seriously. I have never said I thought he exaggerated his problems."

The five man-seven woman panel retired for one hour to consider the evidence before returning their unanimous guilty verdict.

Judge Amjad Nawaz told Howard, a father-of-one, it was extremely serious offending because of the vulnerability of his victim and the fact he was working as his carer.

"The custody threshold has been crossed," he said as he remanded Howard on bail until July 25 for the preparation of a pre-sentence report.

He told him to read nothing into the adjournment as he warned, "There is no other sentence than custody. With that sentence in mind you must make the arrangements you need to make."

A spokesman for Lifeways Community Care told the News: “We do not tolerate poor practice in our services and immediately suspended the support worker concerned pending our own internal investigation, which led to his dismissal.

“We informed all the relevant authorities, including the police and council safeguarding team.

"The safety of our service users is our number one priority.”