Two carers have been sentenced to seven months in prison for the wilful neglect of Bradford City Fire hero David Hustler, 76.

Kaniz Rashid, 52, of Heckmondwike, and Margaret Shires, 64, of Gomersal, were sentenced at Leeds Crown Court yesterday after being found guilty of wilful neglect in November 2019. A third defendant was acquitted.

Mr Hustler was a survivor of the Bradford City fire disaster and was awarded the Queen’s Gallantry Medal after he rescued two people from the blaze, which claimed the lives of 56 people on May 11, 1985.

The court heard that at 6.49am on October 19, 2015, Mr Hustle suffered a fall in his flat at Meadow Green Lodge care home near Dewsbury.

He was admitted to hospital the following day, but died eleven days later.

Mr Hustler, who suffered from dementia, had activated his pendant alarm to summon help. The call was answered, but no help came, and neither did he receive his routine morning visit. He spent nearly 14 hours on the floor alone and disorientated.

Careworkers Rashid and Shires arrived to undertake the evening visit and found Mr Hustler naked on the floor, distressed and hungry.

But they merely returned him to bed, and did not alert senior staff about the fall, or summon medical help.

Neither did they inform anyone about the missed morning visit or the fact that he had not taken his morning medication. A motion-activated CCTV camera, installed by his family when they started to have concerns about his care, recorded events intermittently and show Mr Hustler calling for help, asking for water, moaning with pain and attempting to cover himself with the duvet.

Mr Hustler died of pneumonia in Dewsbury Hospital on October 28, 2015.

Caroline May, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “This was an absolutely tragic case involving the wilful neglect of a frail and vulnerable elderly gentleman. Mr Hustler was left alone and distressed on the floor of his room for almost 14 hours; hungry, thirsty, and in pain. His desperate calls for help went unanswered. When the care workers eventually arrived, they failed to follow the correct procedures, did not summon medical help, and subsequently falsified records and lied to protect themselves. They have now been sentenced to seven months in prison. Our thoughts remain with Mr Hustler’s family.”

Matthew Wildman, 17 at the time of the fire, was one of those saved by Mr Hustler.

Speaking after the sentencing, Mr Wildman, of Baildon, said: “Throughout the case it was commented upon that it was human decency and common sense that they (the carers) lacked.

“This was the same man who risked his own life and personal safety when running back into the fire.

“It just shows the difference in people’s outlooks.”

Mr Hustler's family said in a statement after the sentencing: "As a family, we just want to say we are so pleased to see these ladies brought to justice.

"A custodial sentence was the only way it should have ever gone. We're grateful for the hard work and determination the police officers have put in to bring this to court.

"Seven months isn't enough, they have taken David's life and it has cost us four years of our lives, but for David's sake it was worth it.

"He was a hero and he will remain a hero. That is how he should be remembered."

Previously, Mr Wildman told the T&A of his admiration for Mr Hustler's heroics. He said: "I was in awe of him. I owe my life to him.

“He just made me happy to be with him. I liked to think that I also raised his spirits, as I was alive and kicking as a direct result of his heroic acts."