Care worker abandoned disabled client for hours to work shifts at strip club

A care worker is facing a ban from working with vulnerable adults after he left his disabled client alone to work shifts at a strip club in Edinburgh.

Michael Harper was employed to take care of the woman’s needs during overnight stays at her home.

But the 36-year-old carer abandoned the client for hours on several occasions over a 14-month period to work behind the bar at the Baby Dolls strip bar and attend a local gym.

Harper was eventually suspended from his position following an internal investigation by his employers and the matter was subsequently reported to the police.

Harper pled guilty to ill-treating or wilfully neglecting the woman by leaving her unattended on various occasions when he was supposed to be caring for her between January 2022 and March 2023.

He was prosecuted under the Health (Tobacco, Nicotine etc. and Care) (Scotland) Act 2016 when he appeared in the dock at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Monday, March 9.

Fiscal Stuart Coleman told the court the woman suffered from a mild learning disability and a personality disorder and received a 24-hour care package from the Richmond Fellowship Scotland charity.

Mr Coleman said: “The accused supported [the woman] for a number of years and would generally support her over a night shift.

“Concerns began to be raised in regards to the accused’s conduct at the beginning of 2024.

“There were concerns he was coming into shifts early and conducting extra shifts without permission.”

The fiscal said Harper was suspended pending an investigation in March 2024 and the female client had “made disclosures about the accused ” to another care worker.

Mr Coleman said: “[The woman] stated that whilst the accused worked with her around five nights a week, two or three of these nights he would leave at her home between 8pm and 1am.

“She stated the accused worked at Baby Dolls strip club and would leave her at home alone whilst he worked there and whilst he attended at PureGym.”

A subsequent investigation proved Harper had been working at the strip club and attending the gym when he was supposed to be caring for the woman at her home.

Defence agent Joseph Boyd said his client had been employed by Baby Dolls before he was employed as a carer and continued to work there out of loyalty when they were short-staffed.

Mr Boyd said Harper only left the woman alone for a short time when he believed she could manage and she always had access to a mobile phone to contact him if she needed to.

Sheriff Charles Walls described the offence as “a breach of trust’ and sentenced Harper to a community payback order.

Harper, from Edinburgh, was placed under the supervision of the social work department for 12 months and was ordered to carry out 105 hours of unpaid work.

Sheriff Walls also forwarded Harper’s name to Scottish Ministers for them to consider that his name should be added to those banned from working with vulnerable adults in the future.

Baby Dolls strip club was located in a part of Edinburgh known for its concentration of adult entertainment venues.

The club closed its doors for business in 2023 and the building is currently being operated as a lap dancing bar named the No1 Show Bar.