Sex assault victim awarded 'substantial' damages

A close-up of a teenage girl in a bedroom using a smartphone. She is wearing a striped jumper and blue trousers and her nails are painted dark blue. She has long hair and is sitting on a bed. Her face cannot be seen.Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

The victim was sexually assaulted when she was a teenager (stock photo)

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A woman who was sexually assaulted by her support worker at a children's home in Lincolnshire when she was a teenager has been awarded damages, lawyers have said.

Andrew Geeson began abusing Amy (which is not her real name) shortly after she had been placed at the facility at the age of 15. She was at the home due to concerns she was vulnerable to sexual exploitation, according to Leigh Day Solicitors.

Geeson, who was jailed for five years and four months in 2023, worked for Keys Care Ltd at the time.

Lawyers said a civil claim against his former employer had now been settled. Keys Care has been approached for a comment.

A spokesperson for the law firm said Geeson, who was employed at the children's home to safeguard vulnerable children, began abusing Amy in 2019.

Despite significant concerns being raised about him, he continued as Amy's care worker until he left his role in 2020.

He was arrested in 2021 and subsequently charged. He later pleaded guilty to sexually abusing Amy, they added.

Dino Nocivelli – a partner at Leigh Day – said Geeson had "abused his position of trust".

He added: "This breach of trust was significant, and I am pleased to have now reached a settlement."

The law firm has not disclosed the sum involved but described it as "substantial".

It includes compensation for "the pain and suffering Amy endured, the impact it had on her education, her need for future therapy, and loss of earnings", a spokesperson for the law firm said.

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