Former social worker used cover of job to commit sexual offences in care home

A former social services boss has been jailed for nine years for indecent assault and the attempted rape of a boy in a care home in the late 1970s.

Worcester Crown Court found Brian William O’Leary, who worked for Wolverhampton council from 1991 to 2011, guilty of sex offences against a boy aged under 16 in a now-closed care home in Droitwich, Worcestershire, between 9 October 1979 and 11 June 1980. 

Detective Inspector Andy Price of West Mercia Police said: “This man was in a position of trust which he exploited to befriend a young boy on the pretext of helping him. Instead, he subjected him to a prolonged series of sexual assaults.

“This was a young adolescent lad who was extremely vulnerable and in need of professional care and understanding. O’Leary clearly saw an opportunity to take advantage. He was a sexual predator using the cover of his job as a social worker to commit the offences.”

Sarah Norman, strategic director for community at Wolverhampton council, said the authority had undertaken the relevant checks on O’Leary.

“No concerns about his professional or personal conduct were raised during his time at the authority,” said Norman. “Had any concerns been raised, they would of course have been subject to rigorous investigation.”