Stafford Hospital nurse cries as she recounts treatment of patient A senior nurse at the scandal-hit Stafford Hospital failed to hold back tears at a disciplinary hearing as she recounted the brutal treatment of an elderly dementia patient by a Bulgarian nurse. Bonko Kostova, known as Bonnie, was one of several nurses covering the nightshift on 22 July 2010 when she allegedly pushed a 73-year old man known as Patient A, who suffered from Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, into a wheelchair and shouted at him after he rose from bed to visit the toilet. Jane Wilkinson told a hearing of the Nursing and Midwifery Council: "I witnessed Bonnie pulling Patient A from the toilet in an aggressive manner, using the collar of his pyjama top. Patient A had no way to defend himself. I saw his trousers around his ankles. His genitals were exposed and he had no dignity. Ms Kostova denies pushing the patient but Alison Jepson, the matron who carried out an investigation, told the tribunal that Ms Kostova treated dementia sufferers as if they were "not human." The hearing is the first time details of allegations faced by 10 nurses at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust have been made public.