Tragically, the expert entrusted with helping her was Kay, then 59.

The events that followed their first meeting were a direct result of an astonishing mistake made by Kay’s previous employer at North Yorkshire County Council.

At Carlisle Crown Court this week, prosecutor Hilary Manley described how Kay took advantage of the vulnerable teenager, manipulating his trusted position for his own sexual advantage.

Cynically, he tightened his grip over the girl’s life, turning her against friends.

Such was his skill in manipulating her that the girl at one stage felt Kay was the only person she could trust.

The details of the abuse were recounted during his trial, prompting the jury to convict Kay of three counts of sexual activity with a child in his care while he was employed in a position of trust.

One shocking aspect of his behaviour was his deluded belief that he and not the girl had been a victim.

But most shocking of all, perhaps, was the background to the case, explained in court by Miss Manley this week just before Kay was given a four year jail sentence.

She explained how he had previously worked as a youth justice worker for Social Services in North Yorkshire.

Kay’s bosses at the time disciplined him for behaving inappropriately with the adolescent girls who he was supposed to be helping.

He was initially dismissed, but reinstated on condition that he no longer had contact with vulnerable girls.

“He was then made redundant,” said Miss Manley, “and provided with references which didn’t mention at all the disciplinary hearing, final warning, or any of the other matters, so when he went to work for Connexions in Workington they were unaware of his previous behaviour.”

Staff at the Cumbrian youth advice service are understandably devastated.

As Helen Wharton, the service’s development manager explained, Kay came to them without any apparent blemish on his record.

Insiders at the organisation say his testimonials were almost “glowing.”

Ms Wharton said: “Checks now are even more stringent, but we feel very strongly about the Kay case because there was absolutely no indication that there had been previous allegations against this man.

“The references we received were positive. One of our questions to them was would they reemploy him and their answer was yes.

“We’ve now written to North Yorkshire County Council to find out why the information about David Kay’s past was not shared with us. If it had, we’d never have employed him. ”


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