Herefordshire social worker jailed over sexual relationship Published duration 12 March

image copyright Google image caption Herefordshire Council said Baxter was a team manager at a care leavers service for 16-25 year olds

A social worker manipulated and deceived colleagues to hide the fact she was having sex with a 19-year-old in her care.

Married Michelle Baxter, 45, went for meals, long drives and bought drugs for the "deeply vulnerable" man.

She was sentenced to 26 months after admitting misconduct in a public office and ill-treatment of an individual.

Sentencing her, Judge Robert Juckes QC told her it was "almost impossible to overestimate the mistake you made".

She had "used her position to enable the affair to happen", he said.

Baxter went for meals and long night-time drives with the teenager and also helped buy him drugs as she manipulated colleagues to cover up what was going on, the Crown Prosecution Service said.

Det Ch Insp Jon Roberts from West Mercia Police, said the teenager was "very vulnerable" and he "blew the whistle when he had a breakdown".

There were "other whistleblowers" and internal investigations, but Baxter, a team manager, was involved in them, meaning she was "effectively investigating herself," he added.

'Exploit and abuse'

Chris Baird, director for children and families at Herefordshire Council, said Baxter's "deliberate and devious" behaviour that brought "physical and emotional harm" to someone she was meant to protect.

"We referred this matter to the police and have worked closely with police throughout this significant investigation," he said.

Mr Baird described it as "the deliberate action of one individual to exploit and abuse the support she was employed to deliver" and that she had been dismissed for gross misconduct.

Worcester Crown Court heard that the teenager was 19 when the affair with Baxter, of Tonypandy, Mid Glamorgan, started in 2016, and 21 when it ended in September 2017.

Baxter will serve 13 months in prison and the rest on licence.