THE Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust (JRHT) prides itself on running residential homes that are exemplars of communal living for older and vulnerable residents.

So it is deeply shocking that it should have been convicted in court of a health and safety breach.

Dora Strickland, aged 90, died in November 2011 after jumping out of a window at Red Lodge in New Earswick. During an investigation into her death, it emerged that Red Lodge did not have an adequate risk assessment identifying all possible risks to residents. It has also emerged that the JRHT had been warned about the safety of communal room windows at another of its homes, Lamel Beeches, in Heslington Road.

The JRHT was this week convicted of not having a proper risk assessment for Red Lodge – although it was acquitted of the more serious charge of exposing residents to the risk of jumping out of windows.

Nevertheless, fining the trust £50,000 and ordering it to pay £28,000 prosecution costs yesterday, Judge Andrew Stubbs, QC, was withering in his criticism.

Nothing had been done when Mrs Strickland had told a care assistant she wanted to jump through her bedroom window shortly before her death, he said.

The court heard that the trust had tried to overturn a city council order requiring it to improve safety features in residents’ windows at Red Lodge. It eventually did carry out improvements. “But what was done was dragged out of them,” the judge said.

This is quite extraordinary and the case leaves the JRHT’s reputation seriously tarnished. We hope it has learned a valuable lesson.