Ben KendallA care worker who admitted ill-treating vulnerable adults was yesterday given a suspended jail sentence.Ben Kendall

A care worker who admitted ill-treating vulnerable adults was yesterday given a suspended jail sentence.

Rebecca Atkins, 21, of Crosskeys Way, Mattishall, pleaded guilty to three counts of ill-treatment when she appeared before Norwich Crown Court.

Prosecutor Christopher Youell said Atkins had been working at a sheltered homes complex at Shipdham when she committed the offences last year. It catered for adults with severe health problems and learning difficulties.

She had tormented two men and a woman on a number of occasions.

In one incident she placed a nappy on one of the men's heads, and on another she humiliated the woman while she was having a bath.

Andrew Shaw, for Atkins, said she had no previous convictions and told the court: "This was her first real job, and she lacked the experience to properly care for them."

Judge Paul Downes gave Atkins a four-month jail sentence suspended for two years. He told her: "These people are amongst the most unfort-unate in society, and we were supp-osed to care for them - that was your job. They were very vulnerable and deserved to be treated with dignity."