Three care workers who were sexually harassed by a booze-fuelled 93-year-old male nursing home patient have been awarded €150,000 in compensation.
The assistants were dismissed by the home after a complaint that the wheelchair-bound pensioner, who is blind in one eye, groped and sexually harassed them.
The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) heard shocking evidence that:
- The man went to the pub six days a week and kept alcohol in his locker
- One worker not involved in the case claimed he “groped her breasts”, “kissed her arms” and “mauled her” while a second gave evidence that the resident grabbed her breast, licked her arm and pulled her onto him
- The man’s behaviour was so bad “young carers would not go into him”
WRC Adjudication Officer, Marguerite Buckley, stated she was satisfied the care workers were subjected to sexual harassment in the workplace by the resident.
“This went beyond tactile touching, banter or involuntary behaviour due to dementia. I accept the evidence this behaviour was alcohol fuelled,” she said.
Ms Buckley added the nursing home “failed to put appropriate measures in place to stop this sexual harassment.”
The nursing home told the WRC that the man suffers from dementia and denied the sexual harassment.
The care home denied that management permitted the resident to have unlimited access to alcohol and explained the pub where the resident attended had permanently closed in April 2019.
The workers were each awarded €30,000 for distress caused by the sexual harassment and €20,000 for their dismissals.
