Gran ‘sexually assaulted at care home’ - family
AFAMILY claims a grandmother in her 90s was sexually assaulted at a Greater Manchester care home.
It comes as new data shows almost 400 sexual incidents have been reported at care facilities across the region in the last five years.
Almost 10,000 reports of incidents or allegations were made to the Care Quality Commission (CQC) between the start of 2019 and the end of 2023 across England, according to figures obtained from Freedom of Information requests.
The family told our sister titles the Manchester Evening News they had been left ‘shocked’ and ‘disappointed’ by the response of the home and Greater Manchester Police. The facility has since closed.
GMP said their investigation was closed ‘due to factors relating to the welfare of both the victim and suspect in their capacity, both mentally and physically to support and withstand criminal proceedings due to severe illness’. The force added that reports of sexual assault are taken ‘incredibly seriously’.
“I’m deeply unhappy,” the woman’s daughter-inlaw said. “These are vulnerable people, but nobody seems to care. When it’s old, vulnerable people, nobody gives a hoot.”
The family alleges the grandmother was sexually assaulted after another resident climbed over a safety gate and into her bed. Staff at the home and GMP were notified ‘immediately’, they said.
They claim care home bosses did not take the complaint seriously. The home and the company it was owned by have since folded. The woman’s loved ones claim police didn’t keep them updated on the progress of the investigation.
“I’m really disappointed, it felt like it was just forgotten,” the woman’s mother-in-law added. “I’m shocked and upset, it has been a terrible strain on the family.
“I have to say to people ‘imagine if it was your mother, or your gran... how would you feel?’. This is a really, really good woman. My mother-inlaw has not had justice.”
A spokesperson for GMP said: “From the traumatic incident experienced, our investigation into a sexual assault has always had the victim at the centre. Detectives launched an investigation into this report, however due to factors relating to the welfare of both the victim and suspect in their capacity both mentally and physically to support and withstand criminal proceedings due to severe illness, the investigation was closed.
“We responded to a complaint in relation to the handling of this investigation, outlining all factors we considered in the outcome and why this was reasonable and proportionate for these specific circumstances. Reports of sexual assaults are taken incredibly seriously and will always be victim centred and suspect focussed. We encourage anyone who has been a victim to contact us so we can investigate and act against offenders wherever possible.”
The family complained to Greater Manchester deputy mayor Kate Green, as well as the CQC. Figures show in Greater Manchester, Stockport had the greatest number of sexual incidents reported to the CQC between the start of 2019 and the end of 2023, at 71.
A further 49 took place in Manchester. There were 43 in Salford; 39 in Rochdale; 39 in Wigan; 35 in Trafford; 32 in Tameside; 27 in Bury; 27 in Oldham; and 21 in Bolton. A total of 9,676 sexual incidents were reported to the CQC from across England.
James Bullion, CQC’S chief inspector of adult social care and integrated care, said: “We take all reports of sexual safety incidents in adult social care settings extremely seriously and will always take immediate action if we believe people are at risk. This could include making sure relevant other agencies are involved such as the police, where necessary. We may also review our ongoing regulatory activity and use our enforcement powers if applicable.
“It’s important to note that the number of notifications may not directly correspond to the number of individual sexual safety incidents as we may receive several notifications for the same issue or incident.
“There is more to do to ensure that sexual safety incidents are reported and recorded in a consistent way that allows data to be shared and investigated more easily in order to understand and address risks to people’s safety. We are committed to working with partners to offer increased opportunities to learn from the information shared by staff, including on sexual safety incidents, in order to identify risk and improve care.”
Kate Green declined to comment.