A court has heard that a care home worker sexually assaulted a vulnerable resident in order to “comfort” her.
The accused, Samuel Shaheen, reportedly repeatedly kissed the woman, touched her breasts and buttocks, and inserted his penis in her mouth while assuring her that it was their “little secret.” According to prosecutor Ian Wright, Shaheen, who was a qualified nurse in his home country, was working as a care assistant at a residential home in Neath Port Talbot when he committed the acts. He allegedly carried out the sexual assaults on multiple occasions, with the victim being a woman with various physical and psychiatric health issues.
The court was told that the 46-year-old carer instructed the woman not to tell anyone about their secret and showed her photographs of his wife and children in Pakistan. Shaheen said that his wife was his “number one” but the victim was his “number two.”
The victim did not report the abuse for some time but eventually went to the care home manager, and the police were notified. Shaheen was arrested at his sister-in-law’s house in Newport and admitted to the sexual acts in interviews, claiming that they had been consensual. He then said that he had been acting out of kindness in providing “comfort” to the woman with his kissing and touching.
In an impact statement read to the court, the victim said that the abuse had left her feeling like she could no longer trust anyone, and she believed the experience had worsened her mental health.
Judge Christopher Vosper KC found that Shaheen had groomed the woman and taken advantage of her to carry out sexual acts. He also noted that the victim had been too afraid to report the abuse. The judge expressed concern about Shaheen’s lack of appreciation for the severity of his actions and the possibility of future offenses.
Shaheen was sentenced to four years in prison, with a one-third discount for his guilty pleas. He will serve up to half that period in custody before being released on license to serve the remainder in the community. He will also be on the sex offenders register for the rest of his life and subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order. The judge warned that Shaheen might be detained in an immigration center when he is released halfway through his sentence.
