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Autistic woman allowed to have sex with numerous men 'despite not being aware of dangers'
Patrick Sawer, Senior News Reporter
18 October 2018 • 5:03pm
Social workers have defended their handling of a case in which a young woman with autism was allowed to have sex with several men despite not always being aware of the potential dangers.
There were fears the woman, who has severe learning disabilities and an IQ of 52, was repeatedly exploited during a two-month trial period this summer in which random men were permitted to visit her Manchester home between 10am and 4pm each day.
She was also taken to shisha bars and on numerous occasions had sex in public, including in a taxi and at the back of a bowling alley, because the carers paid by Manchester City Council to look after her would not intervene.
The arrangement only came to an end last month when Manchester City Council returned to the Court of Protection to alter the terms of her care plan.
In a report to the court last month a psychiatrist warned that allowing her to continue to be exposed to such a “high level of risk” was unacceptable, unprofessional and might lead to “sexual abuse, violence, injury or death”.
The National Autistic Society has called for “urgent lessons” to be drawn from the case, saying that while autistic people have a right to a sex life, “the responsibility to keep people safe falls on those in positions of care, like the courts, councils and support providers” and that “its essential safeguarding measures are followed meticulously”.
In a statement Manchester City Council said: “Various parties have had to weigh the young woman’s freedom against the need for restrictions in the interests of her safety. Our priority has been to keep her safe from harm, acting in her best interests.”
But relatives of the 23-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, have accused care authorities of approving an “experiment” that led to the “pimping out of a highly vulnerable young woman”.
The young woman had a history of running away from home from the age of nine and was reported missing ten times in five years.
Court papers obtained by The Times newspaper state that “significant concerns arose that [she] had been subjected to sexual activity with men, particularly Asian men”. This included “sexual violations and rapes” while she was still a child.
When she became a teenager, she developed an “obsessional interest” in men, particularly “from different ethnic or cultural backgrounds”.
Following her 18th birthday in 2013 the woman’s care has been determined by the Court of Protection, whose role it is to safeguard vulnerable adults who lack the mental capacity to make decisions for themselves.
In 2015 a judge ruled that she was able to consent to sex, but because it was feared she would be “at significant risk of sexual harm if she was allowed unescorted access to the community” a specialist company, Engage Support, was employed by Manchester City Council to provide her with 24-hour support.
The same year the woman met a restaurant waiter of Bangladeshi nationality and the pair married in 2016.
However, 12 months ago the woman is said to have embarked on a series of risky attempts to have sex with men she barely knew, sending them dozens of nude photographs of herself.
The local authority told the court that a psychologist employed by the company believed that giving her “unsupervised contact with men” was in her best interests.
But when she began to undertake sexual encounters in public, Engage Support is understood to have threatened to terminate its contract with Manchester council unless the restrictions on her freedom were reduced.
A psychologist employed by the company said that giving her “unsupervised contact with men” was in her best interests, but council social workers argued that to withdraw her support in the community would leave her at “risk of sexual harm, violence, abuse and trafficking”.
However, in June Judge Jonathan Butler gave Engage Support permission to leave the woman alone at home “to have sexual relations with others during daytime hours [10am to 4pm]”.
If she sought sex in public, carers were “not expected to intervene physically”, nor to “remain present during such acts”.
Over the next few weeks she had sex with at least six men in her bedroom and continued to seek sex in public. On one July night alone she left home and had sex with three men before police brought her back at 4.30am.
The woman’s husband was not informed of the court’s decision to allow his wife to have sex with men when he was not at her home and was said to have felt “devastated and betrayed” by the decision.
In late August Engage Support said it would no longer allow men to visit her home after concerns were raised over her sexual behaviour and the welfare of its staff, who were present.
It withdrew from the contract early last month and the woman has been moved to a different location, run by a new care provider.
Lucy Powell, the MP for Manchester Central said: “This is an appalling case which raises serious questions about the care system for vulnerable adults. The decision by the judge and care provider, against the wishes of the local authority charged with this woman’s care, beggars belief.”
Manchester council said it had gone to the court to consider how best to manage the risks to the young woman.
“We took the case back to the court in September precisely because the situation which arose was so concerning and we felt it needed to stop to protect her from harm,” it added.
Source: The Telegraph
Autistic woman allowed to have sex with numerous men 'despite not being aware of dangers'
Patrick Sawer, Senior News Reporter
18 October 2018 • 5:03pm
Social workers have defended their handling of a case in which a young woman with autism was allowed to have sex with several men despite not always being aware of the potential dangers.
There were fears the woman, who has severe learning disabilities and an IQ of 52, was repeatedly exploited during a two-month trial period this summer in which random men were permitted to visit her Manchester home between 10am and 4pm each day.
She was also taken to shisha bars and on numerous occasions had sex in public, including in a taxi and at the back of a bowling alley, because the carers paid by Manchester City Council to look after her would not intervene.
The arrangement only came to an end last month when Manchester City Council returned to the Court of Protection to alter the terms of her care plan.
In a report to the court last month a psychiatrist warned that allowing her to continue to be exposed to such a “high level of risk” was unacceptable, unprofessional and might lead to “sexual abuse, violence, injury or death”.
The National Autistic Society has called for “urgent lessons” to be drawn from the case, saying that while autistic people have a right to a sex life, “the responsibility to keep people safe falls on those in positions of care, like the courts, councils and support providers” and that “its essential safeguarding measures are followed meticulously”.
In a statement Manchester City Council said: “Various parties have had to weigh the young woman’s freedom against the need for restrictions in the interests of her safety. Our priority has been to keep her safe from harm, acting in her best interests.”
But relatives of the 23-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, have accused care authorities of approving an “experiment” that led to the “pimping out of a highly vulnerable young woman”.
The young woman had a history of running away from home from the age of nine and was reported missing ten times in five years.
Court papers obtained by The Times newspaper state that “significant concerns arose that [she] had been subjected to sexual activity with men, particularly Asian men”. This included “sexual violations and rapes” while she was still a child.
When she became a teenager, she developed an “obsessional interest” in men, particularly “from different ethnic or cultural backgrounds”.
Following her 18th birthday in 2013 the woman’s care has been determined by the Court of Protection, whose role it is to safeguard vulnerable adults who lack the mental capacity to make decisions for themselves.
In 2015 a judge ruled that she was able to consent to sex, but because it was feared she would be “at significant risk of sexual harm if she was allowed unescorted access to the community” a specialist company, Engage Support, was employed by Manchester City Council to provide her with 24-hour support.
The same year the woman met a restaurant waiter of Bangladeshi nationality and the pair married in 2016.
However, 12 months ago the woman is said to have embarked on a series of risky attempts to have sex with men she barely knew, sending them dozens of nude photographs of herself.
The local authority told the court that a psychologist employed by the company believed that giving her “unsupervised contact with men” was in her best interests.
But when she began to undertake sexual encounters in public, Engage Support is understood to have threatened to terminate its contract with Manchester council unless the restrictions on her freedom were reduced.
A psychologist employed by the company said that giving her “unsupervised contact with men” was in her best interests, but council social workers argued that to withdraw her support in the community would leave her at “risk of sexual harm, violence, abuse and trafficking”.
However, in June Judge Jonathan Butler gave Engage Support permission to leave the woman alone at home “to have sexual relations with others during daytime hours [10am to 4pm]”.
If she sought sex in public, carers were “not expected to intervene physically”, nor to “remain present during such acts”.
Over the next few weeks she had sex with at least six men in her bedroom and continued to seek sex in public. On one July night alone she left home and had sex with three men before police brought her back at 4.30am.
The woman’s husband was not informed of the court’s decision to allow his wife to have sex with men when he was not at her home and was said to have felt “devastated and betrayed” by the decision.
In late August Engage Support said it would no longer allow men to visit her home after concerns were raised over her sexual behaviour and the welfare of its staff, who were present.
It withdrew from the contract early last month and the woman has been moved to a different location, run by a new care provider.
Lucy Powell, the MP for Manchester Central said: “This is an appalling case which raises serious questions about the care system for vulnerable adults. The decision by the judge and care provider, against the wishes of the local authority charged with this woman’s care, beggars belief.”
Manchester council said it had gone to the court to consider how best to manage the risks to the young woman.
“We took the case back to the court in September precisely because the situation which arose was so concerning and we felt it needed to stop to protect her from harm,” it added.
Source: The Telegraph
