Feb 19, 2020

Blind Aged Care Resident Allegedly Raped By Staff Member

An article in the Townsville Bulletin is reporting that a blind and partially deaf woman was allegedly raped by a 21-year-old employee in an aged care facility in Townsville.

The alleged victim also claims to have endured sexual abuse ever since arriving at the facility.

It has been reported that the alleged attacker was a night shift aged care worker who was one of three employees that were working at the time of the incident which occurred on November 29, 2018.

The accused is believed to have entered the victim’s locked room using a key while acting as though he had intentions of changing the victim’s continence pads before raping the woman as she begged her attacker to stop.

The victim who is partially deaf, blind and bedridden was unable to physically identify her attacker, but police will allege that the DNA evidence taken from sperm that was found on the woman matched the 21-year-old aged care employee.

The Townsville Bulletin is also reporting that detectives seized the victim’s bedding and interviewed her before completing a rape kit and interviewing the two other staff members that were working at the time.

The man who can not be named for legal reasons was arrested two weeks after the alleged incident and is currently behind bars awaiting trial.

It is believed that the man had no prior criminal history and his defense lawyers claimed that there was a third contributor to the DNA that investigators found on the victim – in a failed attempt to secure bail for their client.

Police flagged their concerns about the attacker in court documents, sharing their concerns about how the 21-year-old used his position of trust to “commit a heinous sexual act against a significantly older disabled person in an aged care facility.”

The alleged rape is said to have taken place at an aged care facility that is currently run by a nationwide not-for-profit organisation, who has not yet publicly commented about the incident.

 

Photo courtesy of iStock- credit: Zefereli

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Play a part in dementia research by registering interest in future trials

  Members of the general public can now register their availability to take part in dementia trials through a new service that aims to make it easier for dementia researchers to find people to take part in their studies. Recruiting people to take part in trials can be one of the most time-consuming – and... Read More

Peak bodies say government funding must match rising care costs

The aged care industry’s peak bodies say that inadequate government funding is putting the industry’s ability to deliver appropriate care at risk, after a new report reveals growing numbers of aged care facilities are under financial stress. A new report by StewartBrown reveals that nearly half of aged care facilities in Australia – 43.1 per cent... Read More

IDDSI New Dysphagia Standards – What does it mean for Aged Care? Commencing 1st May 2019

New dysphagia standards commence today – 1st May, 2019. The new standards are known as  IDDSI – which stands for International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative. Find out what aged care providers and workers need to know by listening to the interview with Colleen Kerr, Director of Optimal Speech Pathology. Dysphagia is a swallowing disorder that includes... Read More
Advertisement