Four former employees of an old people’s home near Zurich who filmed residents in humiliating circumstances were given conditional fines by a court on Friday.

In addition, they were ordered to pay moral damages and compensation to their victims.

Two of the women were found guilty of infringing the private sphere of the residents. In some cases the victims had been filmed naked on the women’s mobile phones. The other two were found guilty of aiding and abetting the main perpetrators.

The chief culprit, a 25 year old, who had filmed the residents and made sarcastic comments about them, was sentenced to a fine of SFr 80 ($76) per day for 180 days. The prosecution had asked for 150 days.

The other three were sentenced to fines of between SFr30 to 110 for 80 to 140 days.
All the sentences were suspended for two years. Two of the accused also received unconditional fines of SFr200 for violating the law on narcotics

The chief accused also has to pay the victims a total of SFr 3000 in moral damages, and the others between SFr600 and 1000. The two who actively made the films must also pay them a total of SFr5000 in compensation.

The case, which shocked the public, came to light in February 2009. Three of the women were sacked on the spot, while the fourth had resigned before the scandal broke.

The judge said that all four had shown remorse for what they had done.

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