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Your email address will not be published.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

Choking the second most common cause of death in aged care, after falls

Have you ever choked on your food? It can be a terrible a feeling – the realisation you can’t take your next breath. It’s a moment where your life flashes before your eyes. Choking is a particular problem in aged care. After falls, it is the second most-common cause of death in nursing homes. What causes... Read More

Our Royal Commission Coverage: this week mental health is addressed

We are following the Royal Commission closely and will be providing regular updates to keep you informed. The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety resumed hearings on Wednesday after breaking due to the pandemic. The hearings this week are about the availability of mental, oral and dental, and allied health services in aged... Read More

New regulation of chemical and physical restraints in aged care announced, but are they enough?

The government will require that aged care residents are assessed by an appropriate person before physical or chemical restraints can be used, under new regulations that will be brought in from 1 July 2019, the government has announced. But a dementia care expert has told HelloCare the new regulations still appear to be too “soft”.... Read More
Advertisement