A registered mental health nurse has been jailed for four years after she was found guilty of the wilful neglect of a vulnerable inpatient who later died.

Laurence Tchapong, 53, of Penroyson Close, Manchester, was responsible for carrying out checks every five minutes on a young woman receiving treatment at Brooklands Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit, in Bebington, Wirral.

The 22-year-old patient had a complex mental health history and had been detained under the Mental Health Act. She had previously displayed significant self-harming behaviours and was subject to observation levels designed to manage risk and protect her safety.

The Crown Prosecution Service case was that on 30 June 2022, Tchapong failed to carry out required regular checks during her evening shift. She later falsely completed records to suggest the checks had taken place, but CCTV footage showed this was not the case.

Tchapong failed to check the patient for 24 minutes, despite falsified records stating otherwise. It was only when another nurse on duty checked on the patient that emergency procedures were put in place. Sadly, this was too late and the patient died four days later.

A subsequent investigation found Tchapong had falsely recorded several visits to the victim’s room on the observation sheet.

Tchapong was interviewed at Birkenhead Police Station on 6 September 2022. She told police she had been dealing with competing demands that night, including other patients, caused by a shortage of staff.

She denied wilfully neglecting the patient and maintained she acted as best she could in the circumstances. Tchapong pleaded not guilty to one charge of wilful neglect but was found guilty by a jury on Wednesday 22 July 2026 following a trial at Liverpool Crown Court.

Today, 1 September 2026, at Liverpool Crown Court, she was sentenced to four years' imprisonment.

Senior Crown Prosecutor Maqsood Khan, of CPS Mersey-Cheshire’s Complex Casework Unit, said: “Laurence Tchapong held a position of significant trust and responsibility, caring for a vulnerable patient who was known to be at risk and required regular observation.

“She failed to carry out the checks she was responsible for and then sought to conceal her actions by falsifying records.

“This was a young woman receiving treatment in an environment where she and her family had every right to expect she would be properly cared for and safeguarded.

“The impact on her family has been profound, and our thoughts remain with them.”