A 52-year-old man who raped a woman with a mental age of three at a care home in Sutton borough has been sentenced to six years in prison.

Peter John Clark, of Oakleigh Way, Mitcham, was handed the sentence at Kingston Crown Court last Thursday after pleading guilty on July 17 to sexual activity with a woman unable to give consent.

The court was told Clark, who was a care worker employed by Sutton and Merton Primary Care Trust, was arrested by police after a condom containing his semen was found at the care home on November 2 last year.

The court also heard Clark knew the victim had previously been sexually abused at the care home and may have chosen her as his victim because of that.

Helen McCormack, counsel for the prosecution, said: "The victim had previously been sexually abused at the care home and the defendant was aware of that fact because he brought the fact to the attention of police officers.

"This is a grotesquely serious breach of trust on his part. The defendant was entrusted with the care of a woman who had a mental age in the region of three years old."

A fellow worker at the care home found the used condom and DNA analysis linked the contents with Clark and matched blood on the outside to the 44-year-old victim.

A check on work records also revealed Clark was working with the victim a few days before the condom was found.

In addition to the custodial sentence, Clark was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders' Register and given a sexual offences prevention order.

The order prevents him from working in a care home, living or working with people with mental disabilities and forming a social or sexual relationship with a person with mental disabilities.

Judge Martin Binning said: "This is a case that involves a betrayal of trust. You were employed to look after this woman with a mental age of two or three and you abused her in a way that betrayed the trust to an appalling extent and in the knowledge that she had already been the victim of sexual abuse.

"It is difficult to imagine a greater betrayal."

Defence counsel Kim Halsall said it was not a pre-meditated attack and Clark would accept help to overcome psychological problems.

She added: "This is a man who has expressed remorse and is extremely sorry for the offence he has committed. He knew that he took advantage of this lady when clearly he should not have done so."