COUNCIL MAN DENIES HOME SEX ASSAULTS

A COUNCIL worker who was helping people with visual impairments sexually assaulted women during home visits, a court has heard.

Alun Wyn Roberts is alleged to have kissed and touched three women without their consent after going to their homes as part of his job.

The 59-year-old denies the incidents ever happened.

Day one of Roberts’ trial at Swansea Crown Court heard the defendant worked as a senior visual impairment rehabilitation officer with Carmarthenshire Council having previously worked in similar roles in Powys and in Rhondda Cynon Taff.

Nicola Powell, opening the case for the prosecution on Monday, said as part of his job Roberts would visit the homes of people with visual impairment needs and would provide support and advice to them and to their families. She said it was the prosecution’s case that during these visits the defendant sexually assaulted three women by kissing and touching them.

Two of the women were themselves visually impaired or registered blind and one was married to a man who had sight problems.

Miss Powell said the incidents came to light when a woman in her 80s made disclosures about the defendant’s alleged behaviour to social services and the police were notified. Officers launched an investigation and spoke to two other women who made similar complaints about the defendant’s “inappropriate” behaviour.

The prosecutor said in his subsequent police interview Roberts denied there had been any physical contact between himself and the women and said the alleged incidents simply did not happen.

The first evidence put before the jury was the videoed police interview with one of the alleged victims.

In the interview the woman described how Roberts had tried to kiss and hug her during a home visit and how she had pushed him away.

She said that over the following weeks he made a number of unannounced visits to her home and during these visits his behaviour made her feel “uncomfortable”.

She added: “He crossed the line. He definitely crossed the line.”

Roberts, of Ferryside, Carmarthenshire, denies five counts of sexual assault and the case continues.