Local authorities accused of ‘pimping out’ autistic woman
Court agreed to let random men have sex with her at Manchester care home so she could ‘learn from mistakes’
A young woman with autism was allowed to have sex with random men after her carers argued that it would help her “learn from her mistakes”, according to newly released court documents.
The 23-year-old, who has severe learning disabilities and an IQ of 52, “was repeatedly exploited during a court-approved, two-month trial period this summer in which random men were permitted to visit her Manchester care home between 10am and 4pm each day”, says The Times.
The scheme came to an end after a psychiatrist told a Manchester judge that continuing would expose the woman to situations that could lead to “sexual abuse, violence, injury or death”.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Details of the case were disclosed after the court ordered that documents revealing the danger to which she was exposed be released to The Times.
Court papers submitted by Manchester City Council described the woman - who cannot be named for legal reasons - as having a troubled childhood.
As a teenager, she was assessed as being among “the small percentage of young women with autism whose obsessional interest relates to men”, particularly “men from different ethnic or cultural backgrounds”.
Since she turned 18, the woman’s care has been guided by the Court of Protection, which enlisted an organisation called Engage Support to give her 24-hour support.
In 2015, a judge ruled that the woman was able to consent to sex but lacked the capacity to “make decisions on her contact with men”.
Following her repeated attempts to have sex with strangers, Engage Support threatened to terminate their contract with Manchester council unless they were allowed to restrict her freedom.
But, according to The Times, the local authority claimed “unsupervised visits from men” were in her best interests. In June, a judge gave the council the go-ahead to leave her at home alone during 10am until 4pm, and said that if the woman wanted to have sex in public then carers were not expected to physically intervene.
In August, Engage Support stopped the visits out of concerns for the woman and the welfare of its staff.
The woman’s family have since heavily criticised the authorities and accused them of “pimping out a vulnerable woman for sex”.
The case has now gone to the High Court and a new agency is providing care for the woman.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Today's political cartoons - November 2, 2024
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - anti-fascism, early voter turnout, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Geoff Capes obituary: shot-putter who became the World’s Strongest Man
In the Spotlight The 'mighty figure' was a two-time Commonwealth Champion and world-record holder
By The Week UK Published
-
Israel attacks Iran: a 'limited' retaliation
Talking Point Iran's humiliated leaders must decide how to respond to Netanyahu's measured strike
By The Week UK Published
-
Home Office worker accused of spiking mistress’s drink with abortion drug
Speed Read Darren Burke had failed to convince his girlfriend to terminate pregnancy
By The Week Staff Published
-
In hock to Moscow: exploring Germany’s woeful energy policy
Speed Read Don’t expect Berlin to wean itself off Russian gas any time soon
By The Week Staff Published
-
Were Covid restrictions dropped too soon?
Speed Read ‘Living with Covid’ is already proving problematic – just look at the travel chaos this week
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Inclusive Britain: a new strategy for tackling racism in the UK
Speed Read Government has revealed action plan setting out 74 steps that ministers will take
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sandy Hook families vs. Remington: a small victory over the gunmakers
Speed Read Last week the families settled a lawsuit for $73m against the manufacturer
By The Week Staff Published
-
Farmers vs. walkers: the battle over ‘Britain’s green and pleasant land’
Speed Read Updated Countryside Code tells farmers: ‘be nice, say hello, share the space’
By The Week Staff Published
-
Motherhood: why are we putting it off?
Speed Read Stats show around 50% of women in England and Wales now don’t have children by 30
By The Week Staff Published
-
Anti-Semitism in America: a case of double standards?
Speed Read Officials were strikingly reluctant to link Texas synagogue attack to anti-Semitism
By The Week Staff Published