Care worker had sex with mentally ill patient in toilet
Vulnerable woman bombarded with text messages and gifts
A SICK care worker bombarded a mentally ill woman with hundreds of texts before having sex with her in a disabled toilet at a day centre.
Richard Buchanan, 56, of Bradley, befriended the woman – who had “a multiplicity of issues” – while working as a casual support worker in the Brighouse area.
Buchanan exchanged 800 texts with his victim, signing off one of them with “Missing you sexy”, a court heard.
He then gave her gifts, including a phone charger, chocolate, Coca Cola and a handbag from a British Heart Foundation charity shop.
The pair arranged to meet up at the daycare unit, where they had sex in a toilet, a court heard.
But the victim’s mother became suspicious after her daughter brought home the gifts from Buchanan.
Buchanan was questioned by the police and said the young woman “told tall stories” and had “come on to him.”
He pleaded guilty to sexual activity with a person with a mental disorder by a care worker, and was jailed for four years and five months at Bradford Crown Court.
A victim impact statement from the woman’s mother said her daughter now cried a lot, did not like leaving home, and has been left paranoid and insecure.
Prosecuting, David McGonigal told a court that Buchanan had undergone training on safeguarding issues with vulnerable adults.
He said: “He was aware that there should not have been contact, let alone sending of gifts.”
Buchanan did not have day to day care of the young woman, but he befriended her.
His text messages included kisses and hearts, and they arranged to meet up at the day care unit.
When the woman’s mother became suspicious, she initially named another person, but then said the presents were from Buchanan, telling her mother they had kissed and cuddled.
Buchanan was questioned by police and admitted he found her attractive and that he had bought her gifts.
He said the woman had told him she wanted to marry him. Buchanan admitted having sex with her, saying he thought she was able to consent.
Mitigating, Nick Askins, said Buchanan, who has no previous convictions, had admitted the offence and was very remorseful.
“He deeply regrets his selfish action on this occasion,” Mr Askins said.
Buchanan had suffered a head injury in a road accident that might have affected his judgement.
Judge Jonathan Rose said Buchanan’s victim had “a multiplicity of issues” that made her highly vulnerable.
He said: “You knew that those in your charge were people who could not pro- tect themselves.”
Speaking of the 800 text messages exchanged between Buchanan and the woman, the judge told him : “There should not have been one.”
Judge Rose said Buchanan groomed his victim until she felt he loved her.
“She was accessible as an object of your sexual interest,” he said.
“She may not have resisted your advances but that is because she was not cognitively equipped to do so.”
The judge made a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and told Buchanan he must sign on the sex offender register. Both orders are without limit of time.