A disability services worker whose "inexcusable" sexual abuse of a client at a Victorian care facility was caught on video has been jailed for at least two and a half years.
Timothy Hampson, 52, was sentenced in the County Court on Monday after pleading guilty to two charges of sexually penetrating a person with a cognitive impairment.
He also pleaded guilty to committing an indecent act, and stealing $1310 from the Yooralla Disability Service.
Justice Paul Grant said Hampson's offending on May 16, which was captured by security cameras, showed the man asking the 29-year-old woman for a hug.
Footage then showed the victim's underwear around her ankles and her breasts exposed as she lay on a desk.
Hampson locked the door and assaulted her, the court heard.
A co-worker became concerned about Hampson's behaviour in February 2014, when she saw him adjusting his clothing in his office, and the victim pulling down her top.
The court was told that after speaking to the victim, who admitted acts with her "special friend Tim" while they both had their pants down, the co-worker set up the camera.
Hampson had worked at the Gippsland facility for 12 years.
Footage from Hampson's office also showed him stealing $400 cash from a security box and he admitted stealing $1310 over four separate occasions.
Victim impact statements from the woman's family said she had struggled with the changes in her life since the assault, and her parents now feared for her future.
Hampson had breached his position of trust, the judge said.
"It is simply inexcusable," he said.
The court was told Hampson's marriage had been in trouble at the time, and he had been struggling to afford home renovations, Christmas presents and family holidays.
He suffers chronic pain due to a rare neurological condition that has resulted in him losing feeling in his legs, which Justice Hampson said would make prison more onerous for him.
The judge said Hampson appeared unlikely to reoffend, as he sentenced him to four years in prison, with a minimum of two and a half years.
Yooralla says it deeply regrets the impact the abuse has had on the victim and her family.
"We hope that the sentencing of the perpetrator today will, in some way, help the family," chief executive Sherene Devanesen said in a statement.
"We would like to acknowledge the staff who reported the abuse and their commitment to continuing to provide services in challenging circumstances."
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