(JENNIFER STAHN / iNFOnews.ca)

After pleading guilty in November for failing to provide the necessities of life for a disabled senior in Kamloops, a former caregiver will spend the next 18 months in prison.

Dawn Brush, 55, was sentenced in B.C. Supreme Court today, April 11, on one charge of failing to provide the necessities of life.

The investigation into Brush's neglect began in 2019, when the woman in care arrived at her family doctor's office, before being sent directly to Royal Inland Hospital.

READ MORE: Family of emaciated, neglected Kamloops senior warns not to trust 'the system'

The woman was "almost bone," according to the doctor, weighing just 72 pounds. She smelled of urine, had bald spots on her head and an open wound.

Brush was contracted by Thompson Community Services to provide 24-hour care at her home for a non-verbal, disabled senior.

The court heard evidence that traced the neglect over two years. Kamloops RCMP officers who searched Brush's home after the victim was removed found manipulated prescription records over that period.

They later confirmed through the victim's pharmacist that no prescriptions were filled in the roughly two years before she was removed in May 2019.

READ MORE: Youth stabbed in Kamloops park; RCMP looking for witnesses

Officers testified that the home was not sanitary, finding rodent feces throughout the house. They also discovered in the victim's bed that she had been sleeping in what was observed to be dead skin, blood stains and urine.

The investigation found Brush was responsible for the woman's wellbeing, but failed to do so. Justice Sheri Donegan sentenced her to spend 18 months in prison, followed by 18 months on probation once released.

Her probation conditions will include a no-contact order with the victim, along with a mandate that she will not supervise or care for any vulnerable people.

READ MORE: Vernon cyclist dies after collision with SUV

Thompson Community Services, the service provider contracting Brush, inspected the home four days before the woman was removed. Case workers typically supposed to inspect once every six weeks.

Donegan noted Brush may have appeared to be hiding the woman's state during that inspection, because she was covered in a blanket and a cap when case workers came.

Brush underwent psychological assessments ordered by the court prior to her sentencing.

A psychologist, Donegan said, noted that Brush claimed to have a "foggy" memory over the two years of neglect. Drawing skepticism from the psychologist, Brush also had a greater detail of memory when discussing that within those two years were other "stressors" in her life.

Donegan said Brush showed symptoms of depression, but the psychologist found no evidence of delusions or mania explaining "memory gaps."

Prosecutors sought the 18-month prison term, while Brush's defense was seeking a conditional sentence for a year, which would have likely included a house arrest condition. Donegan noted that the maximum sentence for the crime is five years. 

The victim is now healthy and she is living in a Kamloops group home.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Levi Landry or call 250-819-3723 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. 

News from © iNFOnews, 2022