A nurse accused of ill-treating a patient with dementia at Llandough Hospital has been found not guilty.
Matthew Carpenter, 52, was accused by two colleagues of manhandling the alleged victim while she was an inpatient at the hospital on June 2, 2019.
The defendant denied the offences and told Cardiff Crown Court that his accusers Kylie White and Ryan Scarlett "made up" the allegations after he threatened to report them to a line manager when they took a cigarette break without permission.
A jury returned a not guilty verdict in respect of two counts of ill treating patient on Thursday, following a trial.
Summing up the case on the same day, Judge David Wynn Morgan reminded the jury of Mr Carpenter's evidence.
The defendant, of Pen y Bryn Way, Gabalfa, Cardiff, said he needed assistance after Ms Rhodes was rummaging through other patients clothes which had been dropped off by family members and became aggressive when he took them off her, and began punching him.
According to Judge Morgan's summation, Mr Carpenter said: "Kylie White and Ryan Scarlett emerged from the staff room and smelt of cigarettes and said they had been for a cigarette break. I said they should only leave the premises and one at a time.
"Ryan Scarlett said 'It's our break, we'll go when we want'. I said I was the nurse in charge and by leaving the ward they were endangering the safety of the patients. I was annoyed with them and was going to raise this smoking business with my line manager."
Ms Rhodes then tried to grab a file which Mr Carpenter had left at the nurses' station and he tried to prevent her from getting in the nurses' office but his colleagues stood and looked on without assisting.
He then took Ms Rhodes to give her medication and he said Mr Scarlett made a comment that he had "jabbed" everyone that morning.
The defendant added: "I told him off for saying that in front of the patient.
"I told Kylie White and Ryan Scarlett they not leave the ward. Their behaviour had been disgraceful and I was going to raise my concerns. I told Kylie White to keep close observation of Mr Rhodes. Kylie White glared at me and Ryan Scarlett went to the toilet. "
In her closing speech to the jury, Mr Carpenter's barrister Lucy Crowther said Ms White and Mr Scarlett's accounts of the alleged ill treatment were inconsistent and lies.
She added: "The defence say it's quite simple. Those two adapted their accounts to turn something that did happen to their advantage because they knew perfectly well the people who hadn't done their jobs that day were them and they were to be reported.
"Years later he we are and things have snowballed to the point where there's a criminal trial and (to lie) may be considered a wicked thing to do but it would be wrong to say that people tell the truth all the time."
