East Anglian social worker cleared of abuse

A social worker accused of misconduct did not sexually abuse a child in his care in East Anglia, a disciplinary panel has ruled.

Vincent Paige denied a series of sexual allegations at a hearing of the General Social Care Council (GSCC), including masturbating a child, named as Child A, and performing oral sex on him between 2001 and 2003.

Child A – now a young man – told a disciplinary panel of the GSCC in central London that Mr Paige, who gave Bedford and Letchworth as his registered towns of employment to the GSCC, had repeatedly sexually abused him.

Allegations that the social worker masturbated another child, Child B, between 2006 and 2007 were withdrawn last week.

A GSCC spokeswoman said the panel found none of the allegations had been proved, except a claim that Mr Paige gave money to Child A between 2007 and 2008 to settle a debt between Child A and a drug dealer – something he admitted.

The spokeswoman said the panel had not found misconduct to be proved in Mr Paige’s case.