A man who sexually assaulted a vulnerable woman in a care home has been jailed for four years.

Jossy Joseph, 55, was sentenced at Norwich Crown Court for the crime that took place at a care home in Swanton Novers between 16 and 19 October 2005.

Joseph was initially employed as a carer at the home in April 2005 but was re-employed in a maintenance and driving role after being given a warning for turning up to work smelling of alcohol.

The court heard how on 18 October 2005 Joseph’s victim told her carer that a man had entered her room the previous night and sexually assaulted her.

Joseph fled to India following the crime but was finally extradited back to the UK on 12 January 2023 to face charges.

Detective inspector Kevin Barber, who led the investigation from 2016, said: “Joseph is a cruel sexual predator who sexually assaulted a vulnerable woman in her own bed – a woman who had already experienced a traumatic event that had a profound impact on the rest of her life. She had every right to be looked after and cared for and Joseph abused her trust, and the trust placed in him by her loving family, for his own perverse gain and then attempted to escape justice.”

The victim’s family said: “We entrusted our very vulnerable daughter to the care of this home on the understanding that she would receive the specialist care needed, and most importantly in a safe environment. How wrong we were. Even after nearly 18 years, the guilt of knowing that we failed her is still strongly felt.

“Unfortunately, there is no way of knowing what emotional effects this crime has had, and may still be having on our daughter, and perhaps the sentence doesn’t reflect the true impact it has had on us all. Putting this aside, we are truly grateful that justice has now finally been served, and hope that very important lessons to help protect the most vulnerable in care have been learnt.”