Edinburgh children's charity worker 'touched colleague's thigh and bra strap'

An Edinburgh children's project worker has been struck off after acting inappropriately around several colleagues - including touching one woman's thigh after she told him not to.

Victor Quested also touched a female colleague's bra strap while hugging her and whispered "I used to be able to open these with one hand" before he was hauled in front of the Scottish Social Services Council.

While under the employment of Macdonald McEwan, Quested was deployed as a project worker for Action for Children in Edinburgh when he made the remark about his colleague's bra strap in May 2023.

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Between December 2022 and May 2023, Quested also put his hand on another female colleague's thigh and when asked to stop, proceeded touch her on the thigh during the following shift.

On one occasion, a colleague told Quested she had a day off and he replied: "That's good you'll have some time for rumpy pumpy" which was said in the presence of a service user.

In February 2023, Quested, on more than one occasion, took hold of a colleague by her shoulder and shook her. Despite being told to stop by his colleague, he continued to repeat the behaviour and while out walking with the same woman and a service user, he commented: "This is a big man, he has got a big one," in reference to a member of the public before making a rude swinging hand gesture at his genital area.

Quested's actions were further questioned when a colleague informed him she was going on a hike with another worker who Quested claimed "had got two ladies from the other unit pregnant" as he added: "You will be the third one."

While employed as a night caretaker by withYOU in November 2021, Quested lost his car keys and when his colleague asked if he had checked his pockets, he gestured towards his crotch area and said: "Aw yeah you can check my third pocket if you want."

In light of Quested's actions, the SSSC sought fit to remove him from the register as they were concerned regarding the pattern and repetition of his behaviour while failing to treat colleagues "with dignity" and "failing to respect professional boundaries."

A report submitted online following the hearing continued: "Your actions towards several female colleagues were excessively intimate, constituting verbal and physical harassment and in some cases being sexually suggestive.

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"Your conduct placed all of them at risk of emotional harm. Your pattern of behaviour, in some cases when you had already been asked to stop, shows a very serious disregard for your colleagues. It appears exploitative of situations at work for your own amusement or satisfaction.

"It was a serious abuse of your position and the trust placed in you. Some of the comments were in the presence of an extremely vulnerable service user, also showing a concerning disregard for what they could have picked up on, and their emotional welfare and wellbeing."

The council said Quested's conduct was "extremely disrespectful and offensive" as they expressed serious concerns about his ability to maintain basic professional boundaries.

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Despite showing signs of remorse and regret following his actions and cooperating with the council's investigation, the pattern of behaviour and fact that Quested was an experienced employee left the regulator no choice but enforce a striking off order.

They also added that following an incident in 2021, Quested acknowledged his behaviour and said he would remedy it. However, since then several other allegations were made, escalating to inappropriate touching.

Macdonald McEwan and Action for Children were approached for comment.