A REGIONAL care home company has been fined £20,000 after a local woman with learning disabilities burned to death in a car after being left unattended to listen to the radio.

Wheelchair-bound Juliet Findlay, 33, was trapped inside the blazing vehicle on the driveway of the Deja Vu care home in Lindford, where she lived.

A man, who was also a resident at Deja Vu residential home, was rescued from the burning white Ford Escort by a care worker.

But when the worker returned to the car with a fire extinguisher to rescue arthritis sufferer Ms Findlay, she was beaten back by flames, Winchester Crown Court heard. Ms Findlay's charred body was later recovered from between the driver's and passenger's seats after firefighters extinguished the blaze.

The court heard Ms Findlay and the man in the car, who was aged 29, may have accidentally set the car alight with a box of matches that were in the car because its owner was a smoker.

The two had been left together in the car to listen to the radio by a care worker who thought it would give them both "pleasure".

Following the tragedy, the care worker was given compassionate leave and then dismissed by the care home after an inquiry.

Judge Keith Cutler fined the owners of the residential home, Robinia Care South Ltd, £20,000 and ordered them to pay £11,000 in prosecution costs, after Robinia admitted failing to ensure Ms Findlay's safety.

Judge Cutler told the court: "I find that the tragic death of Juliet Findlay was entirely preventable if there had been a proper risk assessment and proper supervision.

"Ms Findlay was a vulnerable woman and it's quite clear from her care plan that she was a high risk to herself and others. Clearly, she deserved the very best of care which I am satisfied to a degree she was receiving.

"But, sadly, it can be seen by this appalling and horrific incident that she did not always get the best of care and this led to her death."

Judge Cutler said Ms Findlay should not have been left alone. He added: "This clearly should not have happened, but no one could have envisaged that the car would shortly burst into flames and cause Ms Findlay's death."

He said that the care home had until now an unblemished safety record and had made sweeping changes to make sure such a tragedy did not happen again.

Prosecutor Dominic Grieve told the court that Ms Findlay had been wheeled out to the car by a care worker to join the male resident, who was already inside it, on July 7, 2003.

He said: "A carer put Classic FM on the radio and shut the car door. The keys were in the ignition to allow the radio to play. The carer returned to the house to supervise the other residents.

"They were seen by another care worker who said they appeared to be enjoying themselves.

"After a short period of time, a carer became aware of flames coming from the car and she ran to the car shouting for help.

"She pulled the man from the car and tried to tackle the blaze with a fire extinguisher, but she had to withdraw from the car because it was ablaze and she thought the full fuel tank might explode.

"She returned to the house to evacuate other residents to the rear of the property.

"Two other men tried to extinguish the fire with a hose but had to withdraw.

"The fire spread to another vehicle parked close by and it was so fierce the side of the building was scorched.

"When the fire was extinguished, the body of Ms Findlay was found in between the driver's side and passenger side."

Mr Grieve said that a forensic examination of the car was unable to determine what had caused the fire.

He added: "The origin was narrowed down to the front passenger compartment. It was unlikely to be a mechanical fault. The owner of the car said it was in good condition, but there were clothes and paperwork in the vehicle as well as a box of matches because she was smoker."

Mr Grieve told the court that putting residents in a car to entertain them had taken place about eight times before the tragedy - but without the knowledge of management.

He added that Ms Findlay had been assessed as someone who would be "unaware of dangers in her environment".

The man in the car with her had been assessed as needing supervision because he was handicapped and also had a tendency to be "mischievous".

Dominic Adamson, defending, said: "The events that occurred were almost freakish in nature and could not have been reasonably foreseen.

"This is not a case where the defendant is guilty of systemic failure. This is an isolated blemish on what is otherwise an impeccable record.

"Robinia deeply regrets this tragedy and it is determined to make sure the tragic events never happen again."

He added that if the manager of the care home had known residents were being put in a care worker's car on a regular basis, she would have stopped it, but the manager was unaware of the practice because no records of it were kept.

Robinia Care South Ltd, based in Bath, pleaded guilty to two charges under the Health and Safety at Work Act - one of failing to ensure Ms Findlay's safety and one of failing to carry out a sufficient risk assessment.

The Deja Vu residential home, which has eight bedrooms, provides round-the-clock care for patients.

After the sentencing Juliet's mother, Sally Findlay, 62, an accountant from Woking, criticised care workers for leaving her daughter unsupervised in the car.

She said: "The investigations carried out subsequent to Juliet's death have shown, beyond any shadow of doubt, that this was not simply an unfortunate accident.

"My own belief is that Juliet's death was totally avoidable. It would not have occurred had the members of staff given consideration to the possible consequences of their actions.

"Juliet was placed in the car owned by a member of staff, who then left the ignition on to listen to the radio. This activity would not have had such tragic consequences had the care worker remained there at all times.

"I am satisfied with the level of fine, but it is obviously impossible to put a price on my daughter's life."

She added: "Juliet's tragic and untimely death at just 33 devastated both her family and the many support workers with whom she had regular contact.

"Despite her disabilities she enjoyed an excellent quality of life. She was full of fun, communicated well with those she knew and trusted, and was always thoroughly determined to enjoy life to the full."