A FORMER senior social worker is alleged to have sexually assaulted a girl at a children’s home in Gravesend, a misconduct hearing has heard.

Douglas Makey, who worked for Kent County Council, is accused of abusing the girl when she was aged between eight and 10.

The abuse is alleged to have happened while she was living at Glenview children’s home from June 1983 to October 1984.

Now aged 35 and a mother of five, she yesterday (Sept 16) told the General Social Care Council that Makey would creep into her room in the middle of the night.

She said he would take her to his room and perform sex acts on her.

The woman, referred to as Ms A, said: “If I was awake I would hear the fire door open. When I think back to the noise of that door opening I get a scary feeling.

“I would lie there and think ‘Is that him?’, ‘Is it going to happen tonight?’ “Other times I would be asleep and I would wake up to him lifting me up.”

She added: “As much as I was frightened it was nice to spend time with him. At that young age it never felt awful, I just felt he wanted special time with me.

“I now feel differently and know what he did was disgusting, degrading and dirty.

“I felt like he loved me more than anyone else.

“I don't have a figure for how many times it happened but sometimes he would sneak in twice a week.”

Ms A said she reported Makey to his colleagues but nothing was ever done about his behaviour.

It was only in 2006 when Ms A and her own children were referred to Kent County Council for housing and parenting issues that she went to the police.

Trawling through her care file, the mother told the panel she was “mortified” when she read just one sentence about the abuse in her notes and no-one had helped her.

She said when she learnt from a counsellor that Makey was still a social worker and in charge of child protection she had to report him.

Ms A said: “I understand the police were unable to prosecute due to insufficient evidence.

“The abuse of Doug Makey has had an impact on my whole life and it has been incredibly difficult to move on.”

Karen Darwell, a senior social worker at Kent County Council, told the GSCC she felt she “had a duty” to report Makey when she learnt of the alleged abuse.

Makey, who no longer works for the council, is also accused of molesting a second girl between 1987 and 1989.

He has not attended the hearing and denies the allegations relating to misconduct.

The hearing continues.