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A 57-year-old health worker who denies sexual misconduct with two patients with mental health disorders has told the Royal Court he was only speaking "hypothetically" when he sent a text message to one of the women about kissing her.
Vincent Charles Roberts is charged with kissing one woman and of kissing and engaging in intimate behaviour with a second woman on seven separate occasions while in a "relationship of care" with both - he denies all of the charges.
On the second day of his Royal Court trial, an interview between Mr Roberts and Police was read out.
Mr Roberts said the second woman "wanted to explore what could happen if we were to have a relationship", and said they both "admitted we were attracted to each other". However, he insisted that they "didn't do anything about it".
Asked during the police interview whether there had been sexual activity while the woman was still being treated, Mr Roberts said: "Absolutely not."
Pictured: The case is being heard in the Royal Court.
Advocate Ian Jones, defending, asked Mr Roberts about a text message he had sent the second woman in which he said he wondered what would happen if he tried to kiss her - to which Mr Roberts responded that he was only speaking "hypothetically" and had not kissed her.
Mr Roberts said he had hoped to meet the woman after she was discharged to "see if our mutual interests were still there". He denied ever taking things further than messaging.
The court also heard from a nurse who had received a phone call from the woman in question while she was still being treated.
The nurse said the woman told her she had been in a relationship with Mr Roberts, to which the nurse responded that she would have to report it.
"She said it wasn’t his fault - she had led him on," the nurse said.
Giving evidence, the nurse’s former manager said the woman had also told her about a relationship between the pair.
On the first day of the trial, Advocate Simon Crowder, prosecuting, explained that the fact that any sexual activity may have been consensual was irrelevant, because the charges were not simply sex offences, but prohibited acts with someone with a mental health disorder.
The trial is being held before Jurats Stephen Jones and Terry Ferbrache. Commissioner Sir John Saunders is presiding.
The trial continues today.
Health worker accused of sexual offences against "vulnerable" patients
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