A SENIOR nurse accused of punching a care assistant, branding colleagues 'scum' and pouring water into a resident's mouth branded the allegations "disgraceful".

Aldrona Christian is at a Nursing and Midwifery Council hearing in London accused of bullying colleagues and residents at the Mount Eveswell Young Persons Unit in Newport.

She allegedly left care assistant Gulia Ramon in tears after she punched in the back, poured water into a resident's mouth until it overflowed and rapped another patient over the knuckles with a wooden spoon.

Christian is said to have branded members of staff 'scum' and told one worker: 'I don't know why I bother anyway, you are only scum' and 'don't answer back, go and do as I tell you, I am the boss here.'

She allegedly took a resident's sex toy and ran down the corridor saying 'oh my God, look at this,' the panel has heard.

But giving evidence Christian said she did not know what a vibrator was and said that another nurse had actually grabbed the toy.

'I had never seen a vibrator before,' Christian said.

'I asked her what is that? What is this?

'I told her to put it back, just go and put it back.'

Asked what she thought of the allegations, Christian said: 'They're disgraceful. They're disgraceful to me.'

The incident is one of a number said to have taken place at the centre which specialises in rehabilitation for young brain injury patients between 2006 and 2011.

Asked whether she rapped a spoon over Resident A's knuckles or pushed her in the back and into a lift, Christian replied: 'No I didn't. Management never told me about any incidents.

'Resident A was very tall, 6ft 5ins, and wobbled when she walked.

'You needed someone tall with her to help her walk or you needed two people to help her.

'I never pushed Resident A.

'I feel very bad - I always looked after my residents very well.'

Christian is also said to have put pressure on care assistants to work overtime and when they refused joked that she would kill them.

The nurse resigned from the centre in September 2012, just three days after finding out she was to be investigated for alleged misconduct.

Christian told the hearing: 'I felt like I wasn't being treated the right way, that the investigation didn't go properly.'

Christian said that the charges were made up by health care assistants because she was 'strict' and did not want them to take cigarette breaks or be on their mobile phones.

She said she did not punch Mrs Ramon in the back but tapped her on the shoulder.

Christian denies all allegations.

The NMC panel will resume on August 5 to decide the charges and if proved, rule on whether they amount to misconduct.

If found guilty of misconduct she could face a ban from the profession.