A police inquiry into possible sexual abuse at a home for vulnerable adults proved inconclusive because forensic evidence was destroyed, it has emerged.
An autistic man in his 20s was found bleeding at the Essex home in 2008. Staff assumed he had haemorrhoids.
In fact he had "serious internal" wounds a doctor believed were caused by "serious sexual abuse".
Essex County Council agreed to pay compensation after failings were found by the Local Government Ombudsman.
The exact details of the whereabouts of home have been withheld for legal reasons.
The ombudsman upheld a complaint made by the man's mother, who was concerned the home had failed to act properly following the incident.
The man was initially given a mild analgesic and a bath. But this bath, said the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO), would have "destroyed" forensic evidence which "impacted" on the police investigation.
'Significant failings'
It was only later, as his bleeding continued, that he was taken to hospital.
The LGO's investigation found "care home staff, on discovery of the injury, were at fault for not immediately informing both the council and the police, and seeking medical advice - as the nature of the injury could have been an indicator of abuse".
It also found the county council had failed to carry out measures to safeguard the man's welfare.
Nigel Ellis, executive director for investigations at the LGO, said: "There were significant failings in this case, which could have reduced the pain and suffering the son would have felt - as well as the distress to his mother of never knowing whether the cause of her son's injury could have been found."
A spokesman for Essex County Council said: "The council would like to apologise unreservedly for the distress caused to the complainant and her son.
"We acknowledge that the safeguarding procedures were unsatisfactory and that we didn't act in a timely manner following the incident."
- Published7 January 2013
- Published25 June 2012
- Published25 June 2012
