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Police probe multiple rape and sexual abuse allegations at NHS mental health unit
17 December 2021, 08:36 | Updated: 17 December 2021, 09:00
LBC has uncovered multiple reports of rape and sexual abuse at an NHS mental health unit in Hertfordshire.
Over the past five years, there have been 13 allegations to police involving Kingfisher Court in Radlett. None of the reports have yet resulted in any criminal prosecution.
The most recent involves Jenny's son Tom, a young man who has autism and psychosis.
Tom was sectioned at Kingfisher Court last year, his mum said it was obvious from the start that there were safeguarding issues.
There were warnings of a 'gang' operating on the ward, and drugs being brought in from other patients.
"Safeguarding should have been raised straight away in my opinion, an autistic lad should not have been in that environment," she said.
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Tom was suddenly moved to another hospital in Colchester, before being discharged without warning.
His family didn't understand, but a few days later he told his mum that before the move he had been raped by two other patients.
Jenny's voice breaks as she thinks about what he suffered, in a place he'd gone to get better: "To be put through this ordeal in a mental health hospital where you should feel safe. It's unthinkable.
"As well, I signed the paperwork - I could have signed him out any time.
"So to know that happened to my son when I could have taken him out of the situation - heart-breaking."
It's made his mental health worse, leaving Tom with a huge amount of untreated trauma and damage: "He regularly has flashbacks, people's shoes, people's hairstyles, people's voices...
"He has nightmares, and phones me most mornings when he's seen them in his sleep and he feels it's happening all over again."
But, she says he has been offered no mental health support from the NHS who just say there's a police investigation ongoing so they can't get involved.
Jenny's greatest fear is that there are many more victims like Tom out there, who due to the nature of their illnesses, will never be properly believed.
Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust say they can't comment on ongoing investigations, but said in a statement:
“The Trust is committed to ensuring the safety of all service users in our care. We treat any allegations of sexual assault extremely seriously, and always work closely with and support the police with any investigations they undertake.”
Hertfordshire police told LBC: "Officers from Hertfordshire Constabulary’s Sexual Offences Investigation Team are currently investigating an allegation of rape in Radlett. The incident is alleged to have occurred in November 2020, involving a male victim. Enquiries are continuing at this time."
“We take all allegations of sexual assault seriously, no matter what the circumstances or how long ago the offence occurred.
"We will always do absolutely everything we can to gather the necessary evidence to bring cases to court and offenders to justice.”
(Names have been changed in this piece to protect the identity of those involved)
Additional reporting by Lucy Bacon
