An NHS worker lied to police over the death of a vulnerable patient found hanged on a hospital ward.
Stephanie Mullineux, 23, from Liverpool was found unconscious in a locked toilet cubicle while she was on a psychiatric ward at Leigh Infirmary.
The Liverpool woman's life support machine was turned off the following day, on February 8, 2016.
On Thursday Deborah Howard, 48, avoided jail for perverting the course of justice after it emerged Ms Mullineux was denied medical treatment as she lay in the cubicle.
Howard now has a criminal record.
The mum-of-four kept matters secret until she had a pang of conscience and told a manager that "Stephanie's mother should know the true account of what happened at the time her daughter died."
This week, at Bolton Crown Court, Howard, from Wigan, was ordered to perform 200 hours of unpaid work after pleading guilty to her deception.
Ms Mullineux was admitted to the psychiatric ward amid worries about her history of self-harm and suicide attempts.
Prosecutors at Bolton Crown Court described how Ms Mullineux had been left for a period of time while another patient on the ward went to the toilet.
It was only after this that staff came back to the 23-year-old and efforts to save her life began.
Eventually, Howard confessed to her bosses, in January 2017, that she had not been telling the truth.
Three other nurses - Laura Taylor, 27, Lesley Osbaldestin, 43, 29-year-old Bethany Clare, from St Helens, and healthcare assistant Maria Anderson, 59 stood trial, accused of lying during the inquiry into Miss Mullineux's death, but each were cleared of perverting the course f justice on the orders of the judge.
After the case NHS bosses expressed their regret to the Liverpool woman's family.
They added that Howard had been sacked in June.
A probe remains underway into Ms Mullineux's death and an inquest will be scheduled in the forthcoming months.
Gail Briers, chief nurse and deputy chief executive of North West Boroughs Healthcare NHS Trust, said: "I would like to again offer my sincere condolences to Stephanie’s family for their loss.
"We can confirm that Deborah has not returned to work for our organisation following the conclusion of the court process in June.
"There is an ongoing internal investigation in to her tragic death to help Stephanie’s family get answers to their questions."
The three other workers could now face internal disciplinary proceedings.
In court, lawyers said Howard now suffered from depression, was at risk of losing her house and works in a warehouse.
