A carer who performed a sex act on a vulnerable client inside a car after they 'professed their love' has been struck off from her profession. Megan Neilson, from Airdrie in Lanarkshire, was removed from the social care register on May 6 after being found guilty at Hamilton Sheriff Court last year of engaging in sexual activity with the man between June and August 2022.
Neilson, a mother of two, denied wrongdoing but was convicted following a trial. She was ordered to complete 300 hours of unpaid work, fitted with a tag for a year, placed under supervision for 18 months, and placed on the sex offenders register for five years.
The court heard that Neilson developed a close bond with her client, then aged 29, which led to the pair declaring their love for each other. She repeatedly kissed and cuddled him during trips to a bowling alley and at Strathclyde Park, and later performed a sex act on him in a car at the Falkirk Wheel.
The improper relationship came to light after they appeared hand-in-hand at the man's father's home and said they were together. Neilson told the father she would resign from her role as a support worker, but police were contacted. When officers arrived at her home, Neilson asked: 'Is this about the inappropriate relationship?'
Jurors were shown a police interview in which the man said he believed he was in a relationship with Neilson and described sexual acts between them. He said: 'She said if anybody found out about us she would lose her job, her daughter and her college course. I felt awkward because this had never happened to me before.'
The man's father told the court he had been 'suspicious' about the pair before they disclosed the relationship. He said: 'I was in shock, but then realised my suspicion was confirmed that there was something going on and I had this sickly feeling because it was a major breach of trust by the support worker working with him. He is still not the same wee laddie.'
The case was considered by the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) this week. In light of the conviction, the watchdog found her practice to be impaired. A statement from SSSC reads: 'Social care workers should not form unprofessional or harmful relationships with individuals in their care. You failed to maintain professional boundaries by seeking to enter into a sexual relationship with AA, whom you were providing care services to. In doing so, you grossly breached the trust placed in you by AA and their family. AA was put at risk of serious emotional harm.'
The statement added: 'The behaviour which you have been convicted of could cause emotional harm if it were to be repeated. The behaviour is fundamentally incompatible with that expected of a caring professional. The behaviour is highly serious, and this type of sexual offending falls under the types of cases where more serious action would be required. The nature of the behaviour raises significant concerns about your character and values. The behaviour occurred repeatedly, indicating it was planned and deliberate rather than a spontaneous one-off lapse of judgement.'
The statement continued: 'While you accept the seriousness of the allegation, you do not accept that you acted in the manner for which you have been convicted. This limits how much weight can be attached to the insight, regret and apology demonstrated in your comments to the SSSC. The offending behaviour indicates underlying value issues. Where there is an underlying values issue, this increases the risk of the behaviour being repeated and not being capable of remediation.'
Passing sentence, Sheriff Nicolson told Neilson: 'It's only because of the particularly detrimental effect that a custodial sentence would have on your two young children that a community-based disposal will be imposed.'
