A CARE worker whose neglect resulted in the death of a severely disabled woman has been convicted of manslaughter in court today (Friday).

Julie Cleworth was found dead at her Rainhill home four days after her carer Tracy Burrows told her bosses that Julie was not in. Consequently her care visits were cancelled.

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She was unable to move without assistance and apparently starved to death having been left without food, water and medication.

It had been mistakenly believed that the 43-year-old stroke victim, who also had other health issues, had been returned to hospital after a three day stay because her electric bed was broken.

But an ambulance man had fixed it and the crew put her in bed to await Burrows’ visit.

At 7pm that evening, February 5, 2017, apparently finding the house in darkness Burrows did not even bother to get out of her car to check if she was in - but lied to her employers, Unite Healthcare, saying she had checked in every room.

Morbidly obese Julie was described by the prosecution as "helpless as a baby” and if something was not within reach of her fingers, “it may as well have been 1,000 miles away".

But in her desperation she had managed to take off her top and was found dead on February 9, half in the bed having struggled to get out of it.

A post mortem discovered that the victim had developed ketoacidosis, a condition in which toxins build up in the blood stream as a result of starvation.

Burrows, 56, of Sherdley Park Drive, claimed during her nine-day trial that she had checked in the living room of Julie’s small bungalow home in Berwyn Grove, Rainhill, as that was where Julie spent all her time and slept on the couch.

But a jury unanimously convicted her of gross neglect manslaughter after three and a half hours deliberations and a judge warned her she faces “a very real likelihood of a prison sentence".

Judge Neil Flewitt, QC, further remanded Burrows on bail until August 21 to enable a pre-sentence report to be prepared.

He pointed out that factors to be considered included the “inordinate delay” in bringing the case before the court.

After the verdict Julie’s mum, Hilary Kenny, who has mobility problems but attended court every day, said: “I’m made up. I’ve got justice for her.”