Care home provider fined £300,000 for failing to monitor ‘sexual predator’

Hillgreen Care Limited has been fined £300,000 for allowing a man in its care with a history of sexual assaults to prey on vulnerable people.

The provider, which is undergoing insolvency proceedings, was prosecuted by the CQC for not providing constant, one-to-one supervision of the man, who was referred to as XX in court, at its home in Enfield, north London.

District Judge Susan Williams said: “There was a failure to provide appropriate care and a high level of culpability because the risks were well known to the company.” She added that there was a “woefully inadequate system of care” in place.

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Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court heard that an autistic man was assaulted at the home on November 1 2015. Another resident, who was described a non-verbal, with limited mental capacity, was followed to his room by XX and allegedly raped.

The alleged perpetrator, who had been under the care of Hillgreen for 10 years, was described by Mr Paul Greaney, representing the CQC, as a “predatory and opportunistic sex offender” who had faced a number of allegations involving vulnerable adults and childhood dating back to his childhood.

The CQC began the process to cancel the registration of the Colne Road service in February 2016. The registration of Hillgreen Care Ltd was cancelled altogether in September 2017.

Andrea Sutcliffe, CQC’s Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care, said: “As the judge has made clear, Hillgreen Care Limited utterly failed in their duty of care for the people they were responsible for supporting.

“It has taken a long time to bring this prosecution to a conclusion but the outcome proves that it has been worth the effort and dedication of CQC’s inspection and legal teams. Providers should be clear that if people are exposed to harm through their failure of care we will take every step we can to hold them to account.”