Roger Dean, nurse admits 11 murders at Australian retirement home

Sydney: A former nurse has admitted 11 counts of murder at a retirement home in Australia, according to reports.Roger Dean, 37, pleaded guilty over the deaths at the Quakers Hill Nursing Home in Sydney in November 2011, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper reported.

Dean stood by and watched as the fire ripped through the building, the Morning Herald said.

In the New South Wales Supreme Court on Monday, Dean looked at his feet and spoke quietly as he said guilty to each count. Relatives cries and held hands. He also admitted eight charges of recklessly causing grievous bodily harm and had previously pleaded guilty to stealing painkillers.

The TV station reported there were more than 80 residents in the home when the fire started.

Elly Valkay, whose mother Neeltje Valkay was killed, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that she was pleased justice would be done.

"It wasn't happiness of course, I still miss my mother very much and the rest of our family miss her greatly, especially her grandchildren," she added. "It was, I think, joy in my heart to see that my mother would say 'yes justice is going to be done and we're going to see it.'"

"I saw her six days a week," she said. "I still do the wrong left hand turn to go home and go past the nursing home. There has been upheaval in our family because we miss her so much. There has been nights of no sleep ... I still have nightmares."