Care home worker who raped woman and sexually assaulted vulnerable resident struck off

A care home worker has been struck off three months after he was jailed for sexually assaulting a vulnerable resident in North Berwick.

Robert Wilson was found guilty of assaulting Yvonne Carnie, a resident at The Abbey care home, at the High Court in Edinburgh earlier this year.

Wilson was also found guilty of raping a younger woman between January 1 and March 5, 2013, at an address in Tranent.

Between August 2022 and February 2023, Wilson kissed Ms Carnie, then 68, and touched her without consent while she was receiving round-the-clock care at the East Lothian Council-run home for progressive supranuclear palsy, a type of brain disorder which impacts mobility.

The 53-year-old denied all charges against him; however, he was ultimately found guilty and sentenced to eight years in prison.

Edinburgh & East

Care home worker jailed for repeatedly sexually assaulting vulnerable resident

Robert Wilson abused Yvonne Carnie while she was living at a care home in East Lothian

Following his conviction, the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) launched an investigation into Wilson’s crimes.

The newly released report found that Wilson’s behaviour constituted an “abuse of trust” that was not easily remediable.

The SSSC struck Wilson from the register.

Following the trial, Ms Carnie’s family issued a statement via law firm Digby Brown.

They said: “While this verdict brings some closure, it can never undo the profound suffering our mother endured.

“She was a beautiful, kind, and caring woman who deserved to feel protected. Instead, she was stripped of her basic decency and her voice.

“We can at least take solace in knowing that we have honoured our mother’s memory by ensuring that the perpetrator of these heinous crimes will never be able to inflict them on any person again.

“The pain of watching our otherwise sociable and happy mum struggle to cope, and the lack of support offered by the organisation responsible for her care, has left us all with a deep sense of anger and injustice.

“Sadly, our mother did not live to see justice prevail, and she passed away without ever truly feeling safe again. We want this verdict to highlight a systemic failure to protect the most vulnerable.”

East Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership also issued a statement following the trial, which read: “We are aware of the court proceedings against a former employee that resulted in a criminal conviction.”

“Ensuring the safety and wellbeing of people that we care for is our absolute priority. We are appalled by the offences this individual has been convicted of.”