By Kelly Morgan,Staff Writer

PARIS – A Vassalboro nurse accused of assaulting a disabled child last July pleaded guilty in Oxford County Superior Court on Tuesday.

Sherry A. Perry, 50, of 393 Taber Hill Road, Vassalboro, pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of misdemeanor assault and was sentenced to six months of jail time with all but 30 days suspended, and one year of probation. As a condition of the probation, Perry will not be allowed to practice nursing. Her license was revoked in October.

Assistant District Attorney Richard Beauchesne said he was pleased with the sentence imposed by Judge Ellen Gorman, who followed his recommendation.

Penny Horsfall of Buckfield, grandmother and guardian of the girl, who is now 5 years old, said after the sentencing that Perry had gotten what she deserved. “We have the option of filing our own suit against Sherry Perry,” she added. “We’ll consider it.”

During Perry’s court appearance, Horsfall explained that her granddaughter suffers from Rett Syndrome, a neurological disease that may cause symptoms such as loss of communication skills, seizures and difficulty with breathing and motor movements.

Perry was hired to provide her granddaughter with medical attention and love, Horsfall said, but failed.

“I’m going to ask the court today to show Sherry Perry the same compassion which she showed (my granddaughter) – which is none.”

On July 28, Horsfall registered a complaint with the Oxford County Sheriff’s Office, stating that she had seen Perry mishandle her granddaughter while watching a baby video monitor. She later submitted a tape of Perry interacting with the child.

According to an affidavit filed by Deputy Chancey Libby, the tape showed Perry repeatedly pushing the girl into her bed, causing the child’s head to strike a safety railing, and showed Perry grabbing the girl by one of her arms and flipping her. Perry also ignored a series of seizures experienced by the child, according to the affidavit.

The judge described the tape as horrifying. “I saw Mrs. Perry handle a child who was a prisoner in her own body with callousness and a complete lack of kindness,” Gorman said.

“Whenever she was required to physically handle the child, I found myself holding my breath, waiting to see what she was going to do next.”

Gorman said she witnessed Perry throwing the child onto her bed so hard that it knocked the bed against a wall. “I don’t know the extent of (the girl’s) cognitive disorder, but I can’t believe she couldn’t have been frightened, even though she was unable to react.”

The young girl, who was 4 at the time of the abuse, sat in a wheelchair in the courtroom with her eyes closed through most of the proceedings. She wore a pink dress with flowers.

Perry, dressed in a slate blue pantsuit and wearing glasses, looked toward the girl and her family when she spoke. She said she had failed the girl’s family, her own family, the community and the nursing profession.

“I am sorry for my lack of good judgment,” Perry said, breaking into tears, “and the manner in which I physically handled (the girl).”

Perry’s attorney, David Lipman of Lipman, Katz and McKee of Augusta, presented his client as a woman who suffered from fatigue as the result of anemia, and who was overwhelmed by the task of assisting a young girl prone to spasms of movement as a result of her disability.

“It is important to note that she has no prior criminal record,” he said of Perry, noting that her nursing license was suspended by the Maine State Board of Nursing.

Both Lipman and Beauchesne said Perry is expected to face further discipline from the state nursing board. Myra Broadway, executive director of the board, could not be reached for comment Tuesday.