Avola Humphreys denies all eight charges against her

Avola Humphreys, 61, denies the manslaughter of William Pettener by force feeding him until he choked, and seven other assault charges.

One worker at Bodawen nursing home in Porthmadog told Caernarfon Crown Court Ms Humpreys was "quite bad-tempered".

She said the matron pushed a man aged 86 to the floor after an argument.

Eva Westlake, a former cook at the home, told the jury she was disgusted at witnessing the matron push the man, Eric Cartwright.

Another witness, Julie Bridgewater, who had worked as a carer at Bodawen, said on one occasion Ms Humphreys had tied Mr Cartwright to his chair using a pair of tights.

She told how Mr Cartwright, who suffered from Alzheimer's disease, "could be a bit of a handful at times" in that he constantly got up from his chair to go to the toilet.

Thomas Teague QC, defending, suggested to Ms Bridgewater that the incident with the tights had never happened.

Ms Bridgewater denied this, but admitted she had not done anything about the incident at the time.

A nurse said Ms Humphreys 'seemed panicky' over the death

The jury also heard from care worker Sheila Ann Jones who said she had seen the defendant holding another elderly resident, Mary Wilson, by the hair, while she fed her with a spoon.

She said Mrs Wilson's lip was cut in the incident.

Also giving evidence was Christine Sian Jones, who was the nurse and care assessor at Bodawen, and its sister home, Plas Gwyn.

Mrs Jones said she arrived at Bodawen on 12 April to be told Mr Pettener - a retired engineer originally from Ormskirk in Lancashire - was dying.

The trial heard earlier this week how a care assistant saw Ms Humphreys force-fed the 94-year-old who choked and died.

Mrs Jones told the court that Ms Humphreys "seemed to be panicky and quite agitated" and remarked that it was unusual for an experienced nurse.

Liquidised food

She told the jury that she herself had fed Mr Pettener a week before his death and explained that he had to be fed "very slowly" with liquidised food.

She said she used a teaspoon and had to make sure that he had swallowed the food before he was given another spoonful.

Ms Humphreys denies the manslaughter of Mr Pettener and assaulting residents, Eric Cartwright, 86, Mary Wilson, 96, Michael Thomas, 70 and Gwen Evans, 87, between September 2003 and May 2004.