A mental health nurse in Manchester has been jailed for repeatedly raping one of his patients.
Matthew Wharton, 37, was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison on 12 December for sexually abusing a 20-year-old female patient on his ward.
“The suffering Wharton has inflicted on a young and vulnerable woman is utterly deplorable”
Chloe Stevens
He was working as an agency mental health nurse at Laureate House, a mental health facility run by Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust on the grounds of Wythenshawe Hospital, at the time of his crimes.
The court heard how Wharton reached out to the victim on social media in March 2024 and coerced her into a relationship.
He then “took advantage of her and began sexually assaulting and raping her”, both on the ward and at various locations where he took her off the ward, Greater Manchester Police said.
In May 2024, the victim reported to a member of staff that Wharton had repeatedly raped her.
Soon after, he was arrested and subsequently charged.
The full mugshot of Matthew Wharton
Last week at Manchester Crown Court, Wharton was found guilty of five counts of engaging in penetrative sexual activity with a mentally disordered female as a care worker and two counts of engaging in non-penetrative sexual activity with a mentally disordered female as a care worker.
As well as being jailed for four-and-a-half years, Wharton was given a 10-year restraining order stopping him from contacting the victim.
Detective constable Chloe Stevens, from Greater Manchester Police, said: “I commend the victim for her bravery in reporting these offences to the police and trusting us to investigate.
“The suffering Wharton has inflicted on a young and vulnerable woman is utterly deplorable and I am pleased the sentence places him safely behind bars.
“He was in a position of care and abused that power for his own sexual gratification. We will continue to do all in our power to bring offenders like him to justice and protect the vulnerable.”
Salli Midgley, chief nurse at Greater Manchester Mental Health, apologised for the fact that Wharton was able to commit his crimes at the trust.
She said: “This was a dreadful crime and our thoughts remain with the victim who was impacted and her family.
“We are deeply sorry that Mr Wharton was able to commit such acts whilst working with us through an agency contract.
“We take the safety of our patients extremely seriously and as soon as we were made aware of the allegations, we contacted Greater Manchester Police and the local safeguarding team to put all the necessary processes in place to prevent Mr Wharton from being employed into other care settings.”
She added that the trust also reported Wharton to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).
Wharton was suspended from the NMC register in July 2024.
