Hull care home company fined after rapist Robert Carpenter abused woman with dementia

Robert Carpenter
Robert Carpenter

A care company and a former manager have been fined after a known rapist was left free to attack an elderly woman with dementia at a home in East Yorkshire.

Robert Carpenter, who served a lengthy prison sentence for raping a woman in 1989, was caught abusing the 75-year-old resident at the Humberside Independent Care Association (HICA)-owned Raleigh Court home in Cambridge Street, Hull, in June 2018.

HICA admitted failing to protect the woman after the company was prosecuted by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

The home's former manager, Katie Daysley, was found guilty of a similar offence after a two-day trial at Beverley Magistrates Court.

The court previously heard that Hull City Council placed Carpenter, who was 65, in the home in January 2018 as an emergency after an accident in his home.

The authority learned two months later that he had a record of sex offences, but failed to tell HICA.

HICA, which owns Raleigh Court in Cambridge Street, admitted health and safety failings. Credit: MEN Media

Representatives of the home said they only became aware of Carpenter's history in June 2018, when a police officer visited.

But they took no action and Carpenter carried out his assault five days later.

He was later convicted and jailed for an offence of engaging in sexual activity with a person with a mental disorder, but has since died. His victim has also died from unrelated causes.

At a sentencing hearing on Friday, July 15, a statement was read on behalf of the woman's widower.

He described her as "the love of my life" and said it was "devastating" when he was initially told about what had happened.

But he only discovered Carpenter's history after an internet search.

"It was then that my feelings of guilt were overtaken by anger," he said.

He said the incident had a lasting effect on him and his children. "It was my role to protect her and I feel as though I have let her down so badly," he added.

Tom Gent, mitigating for HICA, said the not-for-profit company had suffered "substantial reputational damage" following publicity about the case.

"Measures have been put in place to ensure that nothing such as this can ever happen again," he added.

Andrew McGee, for Daysley, said his client had an "exemplary" career in the care sector and the failures on her part were "entirely uncharacteristic".

He added: "This conviction is likely in all the circumstances to mean that her career, in the short to medium term, is over."

District Judge Dan Curtis said the failures which led to Carpenter's assault were "simply unforgivable".

He handed HICA a £128,000 fine and ordered the company to pay costs of £10,645.

Daysley was fined £1,000 and ordered to pay costs of £15,067.

Alison Chilton, CQCs head of adult social care inspection, said: "This is a really distressing case and our sympathies are with the family.

"It’s vital that health and social are organisations have adequate systems and processes in place to protect people from any kind of harm or abuse as everyone has the right to be kept safe while living in and receiving care. This was not the case at HICA, and the provider and manager failed in their legal duty to protect this vulnerable person. 

"The home has since put in place a new policy to protect people and they must ensure this is fully embedded to keep people safe and make sure they are not at risk of harm or abuse.

"I hope this prosecution reminds HICA and other care providers of their duty to assess and manage all risks to ensure people are kept safe."


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