Derby Telegraph

Carer jailed for sex with a vulnerable mental patient

SHE GROOMED VICTIM AND THREATENED HER TO KEEP HER QUIET

- By MATTHEW LODGE

AN NHS worker has been jailed for having sex with a vulnerable psychiatri­c patient.

Health assistant Emma Sheldon, who worked at the Radbourne Unit in Derby, groomed and then took advantage of the victim, Derby Crown Court heard.

The 35-year-old mum kissed the victim while she was still on the ward before inviting the woman to her home in Littleover and engaging in sexual activity with her.

AN NHS worker has been jailed for engaging in sexual activity with a vulnerable patient at a mental health unit in Derby.

Health assistant Emma Sheldon, who worked at the Radbourne Unit at the Royal Derby Hospital site, groomed and then took advantage of the victim after she was admitted to the site in April 2019.

The 35-year-old mum kissed the victim while she was still on the ward before inviting the woman to her home in Littleover once she was allowed to leave.

While there, the pair engaged in sexual activity, something that Derby Crown Court heard left the victim shocked and confused.

Sheldon then terrified the troubled woman with threats in order to keep her actions secret.

A hearing at Derby Crown Court on Thursday was told that when the victim tried to end the relationsh­ip, mother-of-one Sheldon became abusive towards her and pleaded with her not to tell anyone what had happened.

Phil Gibbs, prosecutin­g, told the court that details of their activity came out when the victim tried to kill herself and spoke to a psychologi­st about her mental health following the suicide attempt.

Mr Gibbs said the pair first met when the victim was admitted to the mental health unit after being diagnosed with unstable personalit­y disorder and incidents of self-harm.

“It’s clear she [Sheldon] abused her position, forming a relationsh­ip with the complainan­t – there’s a degree of grooming,” Mr Gibbs said.

Mr Gibbs said on one occasion Sheldon closed the curtains in the area where the victim was and looked around to make sure no-one was present before kissing her.

Following this she added the victim on social media and arranged for them to meet up in the main hospital building.

“They sat and they chatted, there was physical contact,” he said. “The complainan­t thought they were friends.”

However, things escalated when Sheldon invited the victim to her house in July 2019.

Once inside they went upstairs to the bedroom, where Sheldon kissed

her, removed her clothes and engaged in sexual activity with her.

“The complainan­t said she was confused and did not like it,” Mr Gibbs said.

“The defendant had pinned her down and given her love bites. The complainan­t said she felt pressured. She thought the defendant would

know she didn’t want to engage in sexual activity.”

The court heard that when the victim tried to end the relationsh­ip Sheldon began to threaten her not to tell anyone what had happened.

Mr Gibbs said this included threats to “kneecap” the victim, insinuatio­ns Sheldon would “get her

family down” and pleas that if it was reported she was lose her child.

The relationsh­ip was reported by the victim when she spoke to a psychologi­st after trying to kill herself.

“The complainan­t will never be well mentally – she is clearly vulnerable,” said Mr Gibbs.

In a victim impact statement, the complainan­t said she had been left feeling unable to trust staff charged with helping her as a result of the relationsh­ip. She said she suffered from flashbacks and remained scared about what Sheldon’s family would do to her.

Sheldon’s defence counsel told the court she herself had been in a vulnerable position following a recent break-up.

Mr Farley said: “She has longstandi­ng mental health problems. In spite of that she worked as a mental health nurse for 16 years with good results. She would say she shouldn’t have really been in charge of people her own age and sexuality.”

He said it was a “bad coming together of circumstan­ces” for Sheldon, who has suffered from anxiety and takes anti-psychotic medication.

Mr Farley said: “She had just come out of a bad relationsh­ip herself. She met someone she genuinely fell in love with.

“She was waiting about 18 months to be charged. There seems to have been a huge backlog and she seems to have been caught up in that. She has suffered a lengthy delay.”

Jailing her for 20 months for engaging in sexual activity with a mentally disordered female (penetratio­n), Judge Shaun Smith told Sheldon that he had no choice but to send her to prison, despite glowing references from colleagues and friends.

These references described Sheldon, of Cranhill Close, Littleover, as “loyal, caring and hardworkin­g”, as well as “reliable and trustworth­y”.

Judge Smith said she had been put in a “position of significan­t responsibi­lity” and had abused this.

He said: “I hear and I accept that you have an excellent work record. You were perhaps put into a situation in which you shouldn’t have been. You were just out of a relationsh­ip and you thought you genuinely fell in love with the victim.

“She was vulnerable and you did take advantage of her. She is somebody who remains vulnerable.

“She says what happened made her feel sad, kept her up at night, gave flashbacks. She has been waiting two years [for the case to conclude]. The appropriat­e punishment in this case can only be achieved by immediate custody.”

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 ?? ?? The victim was a patient at the Radbourne Unit
The victim was a patient at the Radbourne Unit

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