Gareth Jones

Gareth Jones was convicted of sexual activity by a care worker with a person with mental disability. He worked at a care home, and on the day of the alleged offence he sounded the alarm and when others came they found a resident he was with (Mrs Perriman) with her backside exposed and bleeding heavily. He said he did not know how the injury occured. He said another person was with him at the time. This turned out to be untrue, and he said he had lied in panic. Medical evidence suggested the injuries were consistent with penetration by a penis or similar sized object and there was no evidence she had been injured before she was alone in the room with Jones. On appeal, evidence was presented to highlight the impact of Jones’s learning disability on the fairness of his trial and medical evidence was introduced to suggest that medical mishaps or poor care may have caused Mrs Perriman’s injuries. The conviction was quashed, and the prosecution did not seek a retrial.

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