DENNIS MCKENZIE, GLOUCESTER CARE WORKER, ABUSED POSITION BY ENGAGING SEXUALLY WITH TEENAGE CLIENT

In June 2011, Dennis McKenzie, a 53-year-old care worker from Gloucester, was convicted of abusing his position after developing inappropriate feelings for a 15-year-old girl. The court heard that McKenzie drove the girl to a churchyard where he groped her, and on multiple occasions, he hugged and touched her sexually. The relationship also included exchange of text messages, with McKenzie expressing his feelings towards her.

The victim decided to report the abuse after deliberately sending McKenzie messages asking him to be explicit about his feelings. She then showed these messages to an adult, leading to his arrest. One of the texts, encouraged by the girl, included McKenzie stating he wanted to hold her and saying, “she made me fall for you.” In another message, he wrote, “When our eyes meet and you touch me I just melt.”

McKenzie, of The Lampreys in Gloucester, admitted to two charges of engaging in sexual activity with a girl under 18. He was sentenced to a three-year period of supervision, during which he must attend 60 days of the Thames Valley Sex Offenders’ programme. Additionally, he received a sentence of 40 hours of unpaid community work and was ordered to register as a sex offender for the next five years.

Prosecutor Anna Midgeley explained that one of the charges involved a specific incident in a churchyard, where McKenzie drove the girl in his car and touched her. She noted, “It is clear from her interview with the police that her emotional vulnerability was exacerbated to an extent by what happened.” Ms. Midgeley also mentioned that McKenzie had a previous record of good character.

Defense attorney Ruth Armstrong stated, “He developed a genuine depth of feeling for the victim. He says he has not coped appropriately with his feelings and has allowed himself to overstep the boundaries.” She added that when the girl wanted to stop, she sent messages asking him to respond and honestly express his feelings. When McKenzie did so with intimate texts, they were subsequently shared with police. Armstrong concluded, “They were feelings he should never have allowed himself to express.”