The agency says health officials have “questions” to answer after the arrests of hundreds of men who have had criminal convictions for sexual assault of a nursing home resident.
Senior Commissioner Eddie Lynch expressed concern after 75-year-old Alexander Reynolds, himself a resident, assaulted a woman.
Mr Lynch said he would report an “extremely horrific” incident to the Health Trust.
Reynolds was sentenced to three months in prison in Belfast Magistrates’ Court on Thursday after admitting he was the target of a woman earlier this year.
Reynolds, who has 200 inmates, carried out an attack on February 22 facilities south of the city.
Belfast District Court was informed that a staff member had heard that the pensioner had asked the victim to perform a sexual act against him.
Despite her disapproval, Reynolds later noticed how the woman held her hand with her hand tucked into her pants.
“When this behavior was invoked, he let the complainant go and distanced himself from it,” the attorney general said.
Reynolds pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a victim who allegedly had a mental disability.
Defense attorney Sean O’Hare said his client does not remember the incident but agrees with the accuracy of the health care provider’s report.
Mr O’Hare acknowledged Reynolds’ “significant” precedent, including other sex offenders, and detailed his periods of homelessness and isolation before he was housed in institutions.
The court heard that the defendant brought a bottle of vodka into the building that day.
“It is in this context that this incident occurred,” O’Hare added.
“Obviously, there is no chance of returning to this house.”
The attorney general, Liam Maxim, called Reynolds’ criminal record “absolutely appalling”.
“This is a very important component of sexual harassment,” he said.
The judge sentenced him to three months in prison: “This requires a prison sentence, which is mitigated by an admission of guilt (but) nothing else.”
Reynolds is expected to be released within a few days anyway, as he was already paying a prison sentence. The High Commissioner for Older Persons said, Thursday evening, that the victim’s defense was a “failure”.
Eddie Lynch added: “It is absolutely shocking that 200 people previously convicted were not only able to live with vulnerable elderly people in a nursing home, but also had the opportunity to attack another resident. This should not have happened, especially given the story of this conviction The man, which may have been well documented and known to the authorities.
“An adult home must provide a safe and secure environment for its occupants, in which case, the occupant is severely confined.”
Lynch said he will “investigate” the Health Trust, which is responsible for “determining how to prevent this from happening and what additional measures have been taken to provide additional protection to this population.”
He added: “The trust and the nursing home provider are responsible for protecting all residents of the nursing homes they drop in. They have questions to answer about the victim’s vulnerability in this case.”
Source: Belfastlive
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
