TWO care assistants walked free from court with their good names intact after being cleared of assaulting an elderly patient.

Emma Wilkes, 29, and 40-year-old Sandra Bake were both accused of causing bruising to a frail 85-year-old woman by lifting her into bed in an inappropriate manner at Portland House Nursing Home, in Willington, County Durham.

The incident was alleged to have happened on December 30, 2004, but the woman's bruises were only discovered the following morning when a colleague dressed the woman.

Durham Crown Court heard she has subsequently died through no connection to the incident.

A full inquiry followed at the home, and both carers underwent disciplinary proceedings before being suspended.

Ms Wilkes, of Coronation Terrace, and Ms Bake, of Clarence Terrace, both in Crook, were charged with unlawfully and maliciously inflicting grievous bodily harm.

Both women, of previous good character, denied the charge and, following a two-day hearing at the court, were cleared yesterday when Judge John Walford upheld applications by their barristers prior to a scheduled trial.

Judge Walford ruled that on the evidence presented there would be no reasonable prospect of a conviction, and he also questioned whether a criminal trial was "the appropriate vehicle" to deal with the matter.

As a result, prosecution barrister Paul Newcombe offered no evidence, and Judge Walford formally recorded not guilty verdicts, granting defendants' costs orders to the women.

On leaving court, Ms Wilkes, who lost her job at a different care home as a result of the charge, said: "I'm pleased it's all over with. It's been hanging over us for 15 months now.

"We just want to thank our families and friends for their support."

Ms Bake has been taken back on at the home, but now works in the kitchens.