A NURSE and a support worker have been found guilty of lying to police about the circumstances surrounding the death of a brain injury clinic patient.

Swindon jurors took around four hours to find Sam Haward, 46, and Nthabiseng Bodiba, 38, guilty of perverting the course of justice.

It followed a seven day trial that saw the pair attempt to rubbish prosecutors claims that they had not started doing CPR on Daniel Beswick until after a 999 operator asked if anyone had attempted to resuscitate the 31-year-old. He had been found hanged in his room at Chalkdown House brain injury rehabilitation centre in Dorcan on September 17, 2015.

Bodiba said she had found Mr Beswick’s body, raised the alarm and Haward began CPR before going to call for help.

Prosecutor Nicholas Tucker said that was a lie. “The question is why the defendants would have lied. Only they can say for sure but on behalf of the prosecution I suggest they did so in order to cover up the fact that neither of them had – as they should have – promptly administered CPR to Daniel when they should have done.”

A third nurse, Petua Nugent, had already admitted lying in her original statements to police about the events of the evening. She was given a lesser sentence on the understanding she would give evidence against her former co-workers.

Haward and Bodiba were bailed to be sentenced at Taunton Crown Court on March 31.