Benjamin Poole: Carer jailed after being caught on camera sexually abusing woman

A carer has been jailed for six years after being caught on camera sexually assaulting a patient as she suffered from seizures.

Benjamin Poole, 21, was caught on camera abusing a woman in her 20s at a care facility in Cheshire.

Poole, of Somerville Street, Crewe, was handed the sentence at Chester Crown Court after previously pleading guilty to five counts of sexual assault and two counts of wilfully neglecting an individual.

Cheshire Police said the 21-year-old was employed as a care worker at a specialist centre where he was responsible for a number of patients.

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In the summer of 2020 one of those patients, a woman in her 20s who suffered from severe seizures, started to notice that things were happening to her whilst she was having the seizures.

In November that year she bought an alarm clock with a built-in covert camera and within days recorded footage of Poole sexually assaulting her while she was suffering a seizure.

The incident was immediately reported to staff at the facility who contacted police and Poole was arrested and subsequently charged with three counts of sexual assault and one count of wilfully neglecting an individual.

As well as a six-year prison sentence, Poole was also handed an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register for life.

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Following the sentencing, Detective Constable Amelia Stevens, from Cheshire Police, said: "As a carer, Poole held a position of trust and he was there to provide the patients with the care and support they needed during their time of need.

"Poole totally abused this position, and instead of caring for the patient he used it as an opportunity to fulfil his own sexual gratification.

"He wrongly believed that the victim would have no recollection of what he had done, but thankfully as a result of her courage and bravery, he is now facing the consequences of his actions.

"While the victim will never be able to forget what happened to her, I hope that the sentence handed to Poole will help to provide some closure.

"I also hope that the bravery shown by the victim in this case gives other victims of sexual assault the courage to come forward and report what happened to them."

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