Avola Humphreys was resented by staff for insisting on standards

That dislike turned into false claims of abuse shortly after a new owner took over the Bodawen home in Porthmadog.

When David Whittal encouraged employees to raise matters of genuine concern, a few saw their chance for "pay back" on a woman who insisted on standards.

They wrongly accused her of force feeding William Pettener, 94, until he choked.

Mr Pettener died on Easter Monday, 12 April 2004, after five weeks at the home. Death certificate records showed that he had died of pneumonia.

But by the end of May, Ms Humphreys had been suspended and North Wales Police were preparing to exhume the retired engineer's body.

I went to work on the day she was suspended and one of the staff greeted me and said, 'We've finally got rid of the bitch' Cleaner Jane Hargreaves

Staff at the home had alleged to Mr Whittal that Ms Humphreys had used verbal abuse against them and both verbal and physical abuse against residents.

One claimed that, amongst other things, she had force-fed Mr Pettener until he had choked.

Mr Whittal, who had taken over the 42-bed nursing home in February that year, had no choice but to call in the police.

The body of Mr Pettener, a retired engineer who was originally from Ormskirk, Lancashire, was exhumed from the public cemetery in Llanystumdwy, near Criccieth, on 2 June.

More than 20 officers and members of Mr Pettener's family were present at the exhumation.

A post-mortem examination food lodged in the dead man's lungs.

Ms Humphreys was matron at the 42-bed Bodawen nursing home

North Wales Police began investigating six cases of alleged abuse of patients at the Gwynedd nursing home and on 10 June Ms Humphreys was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter.

At her trial at Caernarfon Crown Court, the 61-year-old faced seven charges, including the manslaughter of Mr Pettener and assault of other elderly residents.

Peter Hughes, prosecuting, told the jury the matron was "a woman with a quick temper, someone with a short fuse, lacking in patience, and someone who was anything but caring to certain residents, who would pick on them and behave abusively towards them".

But witnesses told a different story.

Pathologist Dr Donald Wayte carried out another post-mortem examination on the exhumed body of Mr Pettener.

He told the court that Mr Pettener had been very ill, with at least six conditions including, an aneurism that could have caused his death.

'Very professional'

Perhaps crucially, he said that food could have found its way into the air ways after death, and not just while Mr Pettener was eating.

Even the pathologist who carried out the original post-mortem examination said the evidence - the food found in Mr Pettener's lungs - could be "supportive of other scenarios".

In addition, local GP Dr David Evans said he had always found the defendant "caring and efficient".

That opinion was backed by carers and other former colleagues of Ms Humphreys who described the matron was "very professional, very able" even though she had not completed her nursing exams.

Carer George Oakes said: "Mrs Humphreys was quite strict with the staff. She put them in their place and corrected them when they were falling short in their duty."

'Poison' evidence

And Jane Hargreaves, a former cleaner at the home, told the court: "The other staff didn't seem terribly keen on her, to be truthful, which I took to be because she made them work.

"I went to work on the day she was suspended and one of the staff greeted me and said, 'We've finally got rid of the bitch'."

Ms Humphreys claimed the allegations against her had been "manufactured".

Thomas Teague, summing up for the defence, said one woman's evidence was "dripping with poison".