A Scots care worker has been jailed for having sex on three occasions with a 16-year-old girl at a council-run children’s home.
Michael Wilkinson, 32, a social care officer, warned the girl not to tell anyone, because he’d lose his job, a court heard.
A sheriff told Wilkinson his job had been to help provide “a safe environment”, not to have sex with a resident. There was no alternative to a custodial term, he said.
He was sentenced to 17 months in prison at Dundee Sheriff Court after he pled guilty to, while being in a position of trust, having sex with a voluntary resident at a children's unit, attempting to place her hand on his privates and repeatedly touching her on the body between August 15 and September 8 2019. He was also placed on the sex offenders’ register for ten years.
Wilkinson, of Cleghorn Street, Dundee, had sex with the child, sometimes unprotected, in a living room, while other residents and staff were sleeping, the court heard.
Wilkinson, who has a previous conviction for housebreaking, is no longer employed by the Dundee City Council.
Sheriff Alastair Carmichael said: "You were 30 years old at the time and the complainer was 16 and a resident at that unit.
"You were supposed to play a significant role in providing a safe environment for the residents and the complainer.
"Instead, you had sexual intercourse with this young person on three occasions, two of which without any protection.
"In my view, there is no alternative here but a custodial sentence."
The child was a voluntary resident at the unit and described how Wilkinson came to her bedroom at 11.30pm during the first incident, to offer her a cup of coffee.
Wilkinson got the child to lie beside him on a couch before having unprotected sex with her.
Fiscal depute Lora Apostolova told the court how the child would later feel "awkward" about coming into contact with Wilkinson.
She said: "One night, the accused went to the complainer's bedroom while everyone was in bed.
"He was upset. She felt bad for the accused and went to the living room and chatted for an hour. He described details about his personal life.
"The accused lay behind her and had sex on the couch. He told the complainer not to tell anyone as he would lose his job."
The girl described how, on another occasion, Wilkinson was "trying to be quiet" while having sex with her on a couch. During a final incident, the girl took a photo of Wilkinson lying next to her under a quilt.
Ms Apostolova said the girl received a number of texts from Wilkinson. His conduct came to light after the girl disclosed details to her family, but she refused to report Wilkinson.
She denied to police anything inappropriate had happened but later confided in a support worker.
Wilkinson's DNA was found on a pair of shorts the girl had been wearing during one of the incidents.
