SUPPORT WORKER HAS BEEN JAILED AFTER HAVING SEXUAL ACTIVITY WITH A LEARNING DISABLED WOMAN
A support worker from Cambridgeshire has been sentenced to prison after being convicted of engaging in sexual activity with a woman who has a learning disability.Michael Rowe, aged 49 and residing on Manor Close in Langtoft, was taken into custody in September 2016 following allegations of rape.
Prior to his arrest, Rowe was employed as a support worker by MENCAP, where he had worked directly with the victim.
The incident occurred on February 11, 2016, when he met the woman after she finished her college day.
He then took her to the Sir Henry Royce pub in central Peterborough, where he convinced her to accompany him to a hotel to engage in sexual acts.
Throughout police interrogations and his trial, Rowe claimed that his interactions with the woman in the hotel room involved only conversation and no sexual activity.
On June 18, at Cambridge Crown Court, Rowe was convicted of sexual activity with a person suffering from a mental disorder that impairs their ability to choose.
The court sentenced him to 12 years and six months in prison after a five-day trial.
He was also issued an indefinite restraining order prohibiting any contact with the victim and received a lifelong ban from working with vulnerable adults or children.
During sentencing, Judge Cooper highlighted that Rowe exploited the trust placed in him by the victim and intentionally isolated her by meeting her after her college activities.
