A CARE worker has told a court how she delayed reporting alleged abuse carried out by a colleague — because she feared the woman’s potentially “volatile reaction”.

Catherine Murray, a care assistant at the Bupa Millview residential home in Bridgeman Street, told Bolton Crown Court how she witnessed 29-year-old Maidi Nizeyimana squeeze or nip four residents, all of whom had severe dementia, during a night shift on September 7, 2011.

During cross examin-ation Mrs Murray said that, according to the home’s safeguarding policies, she should have reported what she witnessed immediately.

“Unfortunately I did fail in my duty,” she said.

She added that she decided to wait until the following night, when Nizeyimana was not on duty, to mention her concern to the nurse in charge, Leelama Jose, rather than risk angering her colleague.

“I’d already witnessed how volatile and aggressive Maidi could be with other members of staff and I didn’t want to continue a shift with such volatile a carer,” she told a jury.

Sara Woodhouse Davie, defending, questioned Mrs Murray about her differing accounts of words said to have been spoken by the four alleged victims while they were being undressed for bed.

Mrs Murray said that although she may not have been totally accurate in her recollection of the words spoken, she was not mistaken about Nizeyimana’s behaviour.

“It is a very stressful situation that has been happening over a long period of time and words get mixed up — actions don’t,” she added.

Mrs Murray vehemently denied Miss Woodhouse Davie’s suggestion that she was “at best exaggerating” what occurred on the night she worked with Nizeyimana because she did not like the defendant or wanted to get more hours of work for herself.

Nizeyimana, of Fern-stead, Deane, denies four counts of ill-treating or wilfully neglecting a person without mental capacity.

The case continues.