An aged care worker in South Australia has faced court on rape charges after he allegedly sexually assaulted a 79-year-old resident on three separate occasions.
The police allege that 47-year-old, Yoon Heok Choe, sexually assaulted the woman between January 25 and February 9 2023 at an unnamed aged care home in the suburb of Oaklands Park.
He was arrested on February 24 and given bail, while he remained silent as his preliminary brief at the Christies Beach Magistrates Court lasted less than a minute on Thursday.
The prosecution requested 14 weeks to appropriately decide what charges they will proceed with, and Mr Choe will return to court in July for his charge determination.
According to 9News, Mr Choe has also been stood down from his employment.
It’s believed that up to 50 sexual assaults occur in aged care homes each week, with tools such as the Charter of Sexual Rights in Residential Aged Care and an amended Serious Incident Response Scheme (SIRS) put in place to better protect elderly residents.
Sexual assault was elevated to a SIRS Priority 1 reportable incident last November, and any incident must be reported within 24 hours of a provider becoming aware of it.
Meanwhile, the Charter provides additional resources for staff, older people and their families to help them identify, report and understand sexual assault in aged care.
Mr Choe is the latest aged care worker to appear before court after a former nursing assistant was sentenced for slapping residents while a man was charged for allegedly stealing and using a deceased resident’s credit card.
