Disability carer Patricia Rosanna Tirimacco ‘caught on CCTV smothering, hitting and slapping young man with cerebral palsy’

The father of a young man with cerebral palsy checked his home’s CCTV – and was appalled to witness what a carer treated “like a family member” was doing to his son.

A woman who cared for a young disabled man for 13 years held a sofa cushion over his face, hit him to the side of the head with the cushion and then slapped him, a court has heard.

Footage of the shocking incident played in court showed Patricia Rosanna Tirimacco, 54, of Magill, holding the cushion against the young man’s face for four seconds.

She has pleaded guilty to a charge of aggravated assault over the December 2020 incident at the victim’s northeastern suburbs home.

Rory Ormerod, prosecuting, said the offending was uncovered because the victim’s father checked his home’s CCTV on his mobile phone, and pressed record.

“The victim is sitting in his wheelchair, the accused looks at the victim, appears to mouth the word ‘f---’,” he said.

“The accused picks up the pillow and pushes in into the face of the victim with two hands for approximately four seconds. The victim is seen to try and push the pillow away.”

The footage then shows Tirimacco take the cushion away, and hit the victim in the head with the same pillow.

Mr Ormerod said the Tirimacco, who was in a position of trust, appears angry as she hits the victim and he raises his hands to try and defend himself.

The vision then shows Tirimacco waving her hands playfully in front of the victim’s face before slapping him with her right hand, while appearing frustrated.

Patricia Tirimacco leaves the Adelaide Magistrates Court. Tirimacco pleaded guilty to assaulting a young disabled man in her care. Picture: NCA NewsWire /Brenton Edwards

The incident ends when she goes to answer the door, because the victim’s father had contacted his mother to check on his son.

The court heard the non-verbal young man, whose identity is suppressed, has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair for mobility.

Mr Ormerod said Tirimacco had not provided any explanation for the serious aggravated assault, and the impact on the young man may never be fully known because of his disabilities.

In a victim impact statement read to the court, the victim’s father described his family’s shock, sadness and disappointment at discovering Tirimacco, who they considered “like a family member”, had assaulted the victim.

“(My son) was very sad and did not smile for the next six months,” the father said in the statement.

“It is very difficult for us to trust another carer, therefore since the incident, we can’t leave (the victim) alone with another carer.

“We strongly believe that vulnerable people … deserve to be cared for with love and supported by loving, caring people who enjoy their job and work not for the sake of money.”

Jason Evitts, for Tirimacco, asked the court exercise mercy and suspend any term of imprisonment imposed, or consider a home detention sentence.

He described the incident as “low impact”, which caused no physical injury to the victim.

He said she had suffered “great shame” due to publicity of the case, and had lost her career as a carer, which was a “double punishment” for her actions.

He said his client was under work pressure at the time, losing hours and her casual wages to a lower fixed rate.

The court heard Tirimacco had downplayed her actions which she described as “playing around” and a “pillow fight”.

Magistrate Koula Kossiavelos said she was concerned Tirimacco had “snapped” and had “no insight into what she has done wrong”.

She said despite a lack of bruises of broken bones the victim was vulnerable, and the incident had caused a “ripple effect” on his family.

Ms Kossiavelos said it was difficult to detect crime against a disabled person who was unable to speak.

“If we didn’t have the CCTV footage, this would not have come to light.”

Tirimacco, who cried throughout the hearing, will return to court to be sentenced in November.