Debbie McWhannell was looking after Catherine Muir at Easterhouse shopping centre when she lost control of Catherine’s wheelchair on an escalator.
Debbie McWhannell at Glasgow Sheriff Court where she narrowly avoided jail(Image: Spindrift)
A Glasgow carer who was convicted of an offence under the Health and Safety at Work Act, at Glasgow Sheriff Court in June 2025, has been struck off the register.
Debbie McWhannell was looking after Catherine Muir, 71, at Easterhouse shopping centre on July 15 2023, when she lost control of Catherine’s wheelchair on an escalator. It was noted that the carer had ignored a sign which warned against putting wheelchairs on the moving stairway.
Catherine – who had special needs and prone to dizziness – was only held on by McWhannell’s one hand as they descended. She fell to the bottom of the escalator and suffered a serious jaw injury which affected her breathing.
Catherine sadly died in hospital 11 days later after contracting pneumonia.
Nearly three years on from the incident, the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) has removed McWhannell from the register, with the notice in effect from April 24, 2026. It is understood that she was suspended from her job pending the investigation.
According to the SSSC’s report, Catherine was “highly vulnerable and non-verbal”, relying on McWhannell to make decisions in her best interest.
A section of the document reads: “A warning would not be appropriate as the harm that was caused because of your conduct was so severe that a warning would not reflect this. The nature of the conviction is highly serious.”
Following the conviction last year, we reported that Sheriff Shona Gilroy tagged McWhannell for six months keeping her indoors between 8pm and 9am as an “alternative to custody.”
Catherine’s brother Donald Muir, 68, and sister Janet Muir, 72, said after the sentencing: “We weren’t looking for her to get jailed.
“She made a horrible mistake and she will have to live with that for the rest of her days – it should never have happened.
“It was a sad loss – she lived 72 years and to die that way is just tragic. It’s been a disaster.
“I just hope it is publicised so that it doesn’t happen again and gives folk a warning about escalators.
“We would like carers to pay attention to all signs at escalators – she blatantly ignored all the health and safety regulations.
“I can’t imagine what was in her head – Catherine was not a wee lightweight and had a bulky wheelchair.
“To even attempt to go down an escalator – I can’t imagine why, it’s shocking.”