A 57-year-old Zimbabwean healthcare assistant, Nelson Ncube, has been sentenced to four years and nine months in prison in the United Kingdom after admitting to engaging in sexual activity with a vulnerable mental health patient under his care.
Ncube, of Gratian Close, Highwoods, Colchester, was sentenced at Ipswich Crown Court on Tuesday, October 22, 2025, after pleading guilty to two counts of engaging in sexual activity with a person with a mental disorder while working as a care worker, according to EADT.
The offences occurred between late 2020 and early 2023 at a secure mental health hospital in Colchester, where Ncube was employed as a healthcare assistant.
Prosecutors told the court that Ncube abused his position of trust during long shifts lasting up to 12 hours. He had been assigned to monitor the victim, who was detained under the Mental Health Act and described as “acutely unwell.”
Although the ward was fitted with CCTV cameras, prosecutors said there were blind spots in certain areas, such as storage rooms and toilets, which Ncube exploited to commit the offences. His behaviour reportedly escalated over time, beginning with unwanted physical contact and progressing to explicit sexual acts.
Ncube also exchanged explicit photographs with the patient.
The victim, who gave an emotional testimony in court, confronted Ncube directly, saying:
“How dare you. Very often you were part of the team restraining me. It must have been very clear to you I was intensely unwell. I felt ashamed, unclean, and embarrassed. But with my improved strength and sense of self-worth a feeling of clarity arrived—it was not my fault or responsibility, it was wholly yours.”
Presiding Judge Richard Kelly condemned Ncube’s actions and rejected his attempt to suggest that the victim had initiated the conduct, describing his behaviour as a “serious breach of trust and responsibility.”
“You showed a warped sense of responsibility,” the judge told him.
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Ncube, who had no prior criminal record, expressed remorse through his lawyer, who said he feels “nothing but shame and guilt” for his actions.
He will now serve his sentence in a UK prison.
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Source:Africa Publicity
