PARTY ASSAULT CAREWORKER STRUCKOFF
Woman slammed over sex attack on colleague
ASENIOR care worker who straddled a colleague and groped her at a party has been struck off the social work register and put on the sex offenders register.
A SENIOR care worker who straddled a colleague and groped her at an after work party has been struck off the social work register.
Erika King, who was employed at the Good Shepherd Secure Unit, has been put on the sex offenders register after climbing on to the woman and sexually assaulting her.
The 47-year-old Acting Duty Officer at the unit, which looks after vulnerable children, was found guilty at trial of the indecent behaviour towards one of her colleagues in May last year.
She pounced on the woman while she was lying face down on a bed, put her hand inside her trousers and touched her over her underwear.
King then put her hand under the woman’s pants and “repeatedly touched her naked buttocks”, according to a report by the Scottish Social Services Council.
The incidents are understood to have happened at a flat party in Paisley, outwith working time, but while she was still employed by the unit.
Social work bosses have now taken the decision to remove the care worker from the social work register, saying her “premeditated” actions were “incompatible” with the profession.
They said her position as a convicted criminal, and a registered sex offender, would “seriously undermine public trust and confidence” if they did not remove her registration.
The committee ruled she had displayed “a clear abuse of trust” and carried out a “serious premeditated act” on her colleague.
In a report they stated: “You abused and exploited your col- league and you behaved in a way outwith work which would call into question your suitability to work in social services.
“It caused harm to the victim and was a serious disregard for the Code of Practice.
“It comprised one of the most serious forms of misconduct which has resulted in you being placed on the Sex Offenders Register. You denied it and were found guilty after trial.”
They said she showed “no evidence of any willingness... to change your behaviour.
“There was no expression of regret or insight.”
The employee, who was suspended following the allegations and no longer works for the Good Shepherd, was also found to have broken company rules by leaving the unit to look for a missing young person.
King left the unit On October 8, 2013, to look for the service user without having appropriate senior management cover.
She drove to Johnstone to look for the young person at another service user’s flat, which was outwith the allowed boundaries for on-call managers to travel.
She had driven more than 11 miles, when she was only permitted to travel five miles from the unit, according to company policy.
Social service bosses ruled King had put service users and other staff members at risk by her actions, and said she showed no regret.
A spokesman for the Good Shepherd Secure Unit told the Evening Times: “The Good Shepherd centre notified the authorities as soon as the allegations of misconduct were brought to our attention.
“The offences happened during Erika King’s spare time.
“She has not been employed by the centre for three years.”